I just had some canned lighting installed at my home and boy, what a difference it makes. Our home lacked overhead lighting in all the bedrooms so adding the lights was well worth the investment. There are quite a few things to consider when choosing your lighting but one big one is....the lightbulb!
Common types of lightbulbs
LED - Most energy-efficient and long-lasting but also the most expensive
CFL - Contain mercury and must be disposed of properly
Tungsten incandescent - Least efficient and cheapest but 90% of the energy consumed by an incandescent bulb is lost as heat
Brightness: Light output is measured in lumens, not watts. A 60-watt incandescent bulb provides roughly 800 lumens: 40W, 450 lumens; 75W, 1100 lumens; 100W, 1600 lumens; 150W, 2600 lumens.
Energy Used: The amount of electricity that a lightbulb consumes is measured in watts.
A 60W tungsten bulb consumes 60W.
An 800-lumen LED bulb (equivalent to the 60-watt tungsten) uses approximately 14W of electricity.
Light Appearance: Light appearance refers to the “color” of the white light. Light color is represented in Kelvin, a temperature measurement.
2700K is roughly the equivalent of a tungsten bulb. Warm & cozy. Great for living rooms and bedrooms
3000K roughly the equivalent of a halogen bulb. Crisper and good for functional light in kitchen and bathrooms
4500K considered equivalent to daylight, and appears blueish. Great for garages and laundry rooms.
My pet peeve......Mismatched light color. A bedroom with 2700K lighting at the ceiling and 4000K in the nightstand lamp looks awkward and can be very noticeable.
Color Rendering: This measurement is important when illuminating artwork or when highlighting decor. Low CRI ratings make the colors in a room seem flat, while high CRI makes color pop.