Choosing LED lighting: everything you need to know in 6 steps

In short

• Fitting: first check which fitting you need (E27, E14, GU10, G9).
• Brightness: choose by lumens, not watts.
• Colour: 2700 to 3000K for cosy, 4000K for working.
• Extras: check whether the lamp is dimmable and has a sufficient IP rating for the room.

1. Choose the right fitting

Look at your old lamp or inside the luminaire. E27 is the large screw fitting, E14 the small one. GU10 is the spot with two pins, G9 is a small capsule lamp. A lamp with a different fitting won't fit. You'll find more terms in the LED alphabet.

2. Decide how much light you need

Choose by lumens. An old 60-watt incandescent bulb gives about 800 lumens; an LED achieves that with 6 to 9 watts. How much light a room needs is explained in What are lumens?.

3. Choose the light colour

Warm white (2700 to 3000K) is cosy, neutral white (4000K) is practical and daylight white (6000 to 6500K) is very bright. See LED colour temperature.

4. Want to be able to dim?

Then choose a dimmable lamp and a suitable LED dimmer. A regular LED can't be dimmed. See Dimmable LED lamps and dimmers. Prefer smart control? Take a look at LED wifi lighting.

5. Check the IP rating

In the bathroom, garage or outdoors, the lamp must be able to withstand moisture and dust. See IP rating explained.

6. Look at quality

Good LEDs have a CRI of 80 or higher, are flicker-free and come with a warranty. The energy label shows how efficient the lamp is. Be careful with strikingly cheap lamps without a brand.

The benefits at a glance

LED uses around 85 to 90% less power than an incandescent bulb, lasts many times longer, gives instant light and contains no mercury. You can read what you save in LED vs incandescent, halogen and CFL, and how it works in What is LED?.

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