Light Measurement

LIGHT MEASUREMENT
Light is measured
in traditional units
called footcandles. A
footcandle is the
amount of light a
candle throws on an
object 1' away.
FC TO LUX
The standard
unit of illumination
is lux, (lx) in metric
system. One lux is
equal to 0.093 footcandles. To convert
footcandles to lux, multiply by 10.764 foot
candles.
FC TO LUX
Foot-candles and lux measure the
same thing—the amount of visible light
that falls on a surface. The difference is
that the foot-candle uses the Imperial
standard measuring system (feet,
pounds, etc.), while the lux uses the
metric system (meters, grams, etc.).
LIGHT MEASUREMENT
How to Calculate Lighting Illumination?
The various methods for calculating
the lighting illumination needs for a
room range from simple to complex. For
general purposes and basic lighting
needs, the two most commonly used
are the wattage and lumens formulas.
Calculate by Wattage
Step 1
Measure the length
and width of the
room. Round up the
numbers to the next
whole integer.
Calculate by Wattage
Step 2
Multiply the length times the width for
rectangular areas to get the square
footage of the room.
For circular areas, divide the diameter
by two to find the radius, then square the
radius and multiply it by pi, which is about
3.14.
Calculate by Wattage
Step 3
Multiply your square footage number by
1.5 for general lighting needs, such as for
watching television and listening to
music. This number is the minimum
wattage you need to properly illuminate
the room.
Calculate by Wattage
Step 4
Increase the lighting level of a work room
by multiplying the square footage by 2.5 to
provide more wattage for activities such as
reading or craft-making.
Calculate by Lumens
Step 1
Measure the area
that you are lighting
with a measuring tape
and use the formulas
above.
Calculate by Lumens
Step 2
Add the lumens of
each bulb in the room.
The bulb lumens can
be found on the
packaging or on the
bulb manufacturer's
website.
Calculate by Lumens
Step 3
Divide the number of
total lumens from the
light bulbs by your
square footage found
in Step 1. This number
is the lumens per
square foot for the
area.
WATTS VS LUMENS
What does a Watt mean?

The Wattage of the light is the amount

of energy it takes to produce a certain
amount of light. The higher the wattage,
the brighter the light, but also the more
power it uses. The efficiency of this
system was introduced using
incandescent lamps.
What does a Watt mean?
For instance:
✔ 40 Watt incandescent lamp produces only
380-460 lumens and uses 40 Watts of
energy per hour.
✔ 100 Watt incandescent lamp produces 1700
– 1800 lumens and uses 100 Watts of
energy per hour.
✔ Direct sunlight is around 100k lumens and
uses no amount of energy per hour.
What does a Lumen mean?
A lumen is the amount of light a certain
lamp gives off. If replacing a standard 150
Watt light bulb which gives off around 2600
Lumens, using a 42 Watt CFL or a 25 Watt
LED is about the equivalent. This lowers the
needed power of the light by over a quarter of
the required power to produce the same light.