When choosing LED lighting or other different lighting products, you should answer the question of what is lumen and pay attention to how much light is needed in each area? In the continuation of this article, Chique Lighting examines what is optical flux or lumen? What is Lux? We will discuss the difference between lumens, lux and watts and the formula for calculating the brightness of a place.
What is optical flux or lumen?
Lumen or luminous flux is actually the unit of measurement of the amount of light of a lighting source . In other words, in response to the question of what is lumen, it is possible to introduce the total light emitted from a source every second, or the total light received by an object during this time. The output flux of different lamps is different, and you should use the formula to calculate the brightness of a place according to the dimensions of your place.
Another parameter that is related to this discussion is Lux. A lux is actually a light intensity equivalent to one lumen that shines on an area of ​​one square meter of surface. Lumen is a fixed and specific lamp and like other specifications, it is included on the box or its body; But the Lux parameter of a lamp depends on the area in which the lamp is installed, as well as the amount of absorption of the walls, floor and accessories in it. Therefore, Lux should be calculated using the formula for calculating the intensity of lighting. The light intensity can be determined by a device called a lux meter at any point in the environment.
What is the reason for the importance of lumens in lighting products?
Illumination and light are particularly important in determining the level of concentration, efficiency of people, as well as their mental health. Lumen can inform you of the lighting intensity of each model of lighting products . By knowing the amount of lumens of each lighting device, you can make a better choice about the number of lamps needed in each area and the amount of lighting.
For example, you certainly know that the amount of light needed in the living room is different from the light needed in the bedroom. But how do you know what kind of lamp each one needs? Here is the lumen parameter to help you. By knowing what lumen is and the formula for calculating the brightness of a place, you can design the decoration of different places and their lighting in a more professional and beautiful way. here is an article about the benefits of LED lighting in buildings that you can get more information of this products.
What is the difference between lumen and watt?
Now that you know the answer to the question of what is lumen, let’s examine the difference between lumen and watt. Often, when we buy an optical device, we pay attention to the number of watts listed on it and consider watts as the basis of light intensity. But with the advancement of technology and the emergence of new optical devices, this conclusion was considered completely wrong.
Watt is the unit of power in the international measurement system, SI . In fact, watt is related to the production or consumption of energy per unit of time. Therefore, it can be said that the watt indicates the electricity consumption of one of the lighting products. So this criterion cannot be used to calculate the intensity of illumination; Rather, it only displays the electrical energy that a light source needs. Lumen is also known as a measurement standard in SI system like watt. of this criterion forIt is used to measure the amount of light produced by a source or the light received by an object.
In the table below, to better understand this difference, we have compared the brightness of all types of lamps in terms of Lumen with their power.
| Brightness (Lumen) | 220 | 400 | 700 | 900 | 1300 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The required power of each product to reach this amount of lighting (in watts) | |||||
| Incandescent lamp | 25 | 40 | 60 | 75 | 100 |
| Halogen lamp | 18 | 28 | 42 | 52 | 70 |
| LED lighting products | 4 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 18 |
According to this table, you can see that an LED lamp consumes much less electricity compared to incandescent lamps to create the same level of brightness. So if you want to reduce your electricity consumption by 5 to 6 times; Our suggestion is to buy LED lighting products, such as LED projectors, wall washers, linear lights, and other such things to provide lighting. You can also refer to the price page for more information .
What is the difference between lumen and lux?
On the other hand, lux is another parameter related to light. Lux actually shows the light intensity of a light source on the area of ​​one square meter , so lux can be seen as a ratio of lumens per surface . Lux, like the number of lumens, is not fixed and can be different in any place. So we conclude that while choosing a lamp or any other optical device, you should pay attention to the number of lumens listed on it.
Important points on how to calculate the required lighting intensity in each environment
When you want to use the formula to calculate the brightness of an area; You should not be satisfied with the amount of lumens obtained through the table or formula. But other things are also involved in this case. For example, if you have used dark objects in the environment, the amount of light absorption is higher and you will need more lighting. In addition, for places with a high ceiling, you should use an Aluminum Channel for LED Strip Lights .
The most important things that you should pay attention to when calculating the required lumen or luminous flux are as follows:
- The area of ​​the perimeter
- The type of arrangement and color of the devices in the environment
- ceiling height
- The light emission power of each lighting product
- Building wiring type
- The type of lamps used for lighting the area
- The amount of light absorption by different devices
- Type of user environment
How to calculate the lighting of the building in a standard way
In the previous sections We learned that what is the definition of lumen. the importance of paying attention to the number of lumens and also its difference with watts and lux; But what is the formula for calculating the brightness of an area?
When the light leaves the light source, it is completely diffused and shines in different parts. A part of this light reaches the floor, a part shines on the walls, a part on the ceiling, and another part shines on various existing appliances. The light reached different parts, reflected and finally we will see that it affects the intensity of the final brightness. For an optimal purchase, you need to know exactly how to calculate the lighting of the building in order to buy accordingly.
The formula for calculating the lighting of the building and the number of lamps required for an environment
You can use the building lighting calculation formula with different mathematical calculations. You only need the exact dimensions of the area as well as a few other parameters such as absorption coefficient and… In addition, you should specify the type of use of the area so that the final result is more useful.
When you know exactly how much light is suitable for your environment, you will know exactly what type of lamp and lamp you need, as well as how many of them.
In the following, we have brought you a standard table, using which you can understand the formula for calculating the intensity of lighting (lux).
In short, the formula for calculating the brightness of an are is as follows:
Amount of required lumens = area of ​​the target surface to provide illumination * amount of illumination required in lux (which is available in the standard table)
The number of lamps required = the amount of lumens required divided by the lumens listed on the package of lighting products
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Standard table of lighting in different environments
In this section, we provide you with a table in which the required and sufficient lighting intensity for different places is included. By referring to it, you can get enough information about how to calculate the lighting of the building and then buy different lighting equipment. Using the numbers in this table, you can get the amount of lumens needed and thus the number of lamps needed for each place.
| Area type | Medium brightness (lux) |
|---|---|
| Stairs and escalators | 150 |
| corridors | 100 |
| dinning salon | 200 |
| Rest room | 100 |
| Bathroom, toilet and dressing room | 100 |
| living room | 160 |
| kitchen | 540 |
| Reading Room | 320 |
| School classrooms | 750 |
| School laboratory | 500 |
| Hospital operating room | 2200 |
| Gym covered | 300 |
Area lighting calculation softwares
If you are looking for how to easily calculate the brightness of an area in any environment; We recommend you to use relevant software . Nowadays, softwares have been designed and you can easily calculate the desired brightness with them .
"Lighting calculation" software
The “Lighting calculation” application is a special application for the Android operating system that you can download and install for free from Google Play. This program provides you with the possibility to easily use the brightness calculation formula and convert all light units to each other. Also, with this program, you can calculate the total luminous flux, how to light the interior, the number of lamps and lampshades, and even choose the shape and model of the lamps. Pay attention that the amount of lumens or lux that you get through calculation or with the help of software is for normal mode, that is, if you plan to fill the place with dark furniture, curtains or other accessories with dark color, this amount must be higher.
DiaLux software
Dialux software is designed and produced in 25 living languages ​​of the world and more than 700 thousand users use it. The reason for the special popularity of this software is its high compatibility with valid global standards for lighting different areas. As a result, even if you don’t know what lumen is, you can easily calculate the number of lamps you need using this software.
Get Dialux software
Conclusion of the article
You are aware of the importance of lighting in different environments and its effect on the beauty of decoration and eye health . In this article, we examined what lumen is and how to calculate building lighting in different places. We have explained the definitions of Lumen and Lux ​​in full and we have also compared Lumen, Watt and Lux ​​in detail so that all ambiguities are resolved. Finally, we have provided the table, the formula for calculating the lighting of the building and software so that you can use them to calculate the amount of lighting required for different places in terms of lumens.
Frequently asked questions
Lighting calculations and DiaLux software can be considered as one of the most useful software available in this field, which help to calculate the number of lamps needed for lighting and choose the lighting equipment of buildings.
The first factor is the area that the lighting should be selected according to. The next important factor is the height of the ceiling, which must be considered. After these two main factors, there are also various things such as the color of furniture, curtains and other home accessories that must be paid attention to.
A lux can actually be considered as a light intensity equivalent to one lumen that shines on an area of ​​one square meter. Lux, unlike lumen, which is fixed and listed on the product catalog, is a variable parameter and will show a different value at any point of the place, which can be obtained with a lux meter.