We often find there is a lot of confusion between Lumens and Foot Candles and Lux. And even more confusing is how some represent conversion from traditional light sources like Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium in terms of watts, and not lumens. So why all the confusion. Well, it may be because those who represent this conversion are trying to avoid letting you know about the efficiency of the LED lights, so they claim you can replace X watts of Metal Halide with X watts of LED. What they should really say is that you can replace a 400W Metal Halide with X lumens, and their lights only need Y watts to produce these lumens. We’ll dive into this a little later, but lets first talk about lumens vs foot candles vs lux.

What is a lumen? A lumen is a measurement of light related to (1) fixture or bulb. So when we talk about lumens, we say that a fixture or bulb creates (X) lumens. These lumens are determined by sophisticated measurement equipment.

What is a foot candle? A foot candle is a unit of measurement at a specific location in a room or outdoor location that is created by 1 to many lights. It is a cumulative reading of 1 to many light sources at a specific location. It is both real and calculated. Real in the sense that you can take a light meter and walk to any location in a room or outdoor location and take a reading that represents the amount of light recorded from all contributing lights or fixtures. Calculated in the sense that you can use software to predict the foot candles of a space based on the placement of lights within the simulation.

What is lux? Lux is identical to foot candles. It is a measurement of real or calculated light, but it is done on a different scale. As a rough estimate, 1 foot candle = 10 lux.

So, simply stated, lights produces lumens, and the cumulative lumens of all lights are then determine the foot candle or lux measurement of light at a specific point in an indoor or outdoor space.

The third prong on a typical electrical appliance plug provides an extra measure of safety against electrical shock. Two-prong outlets, often found in older homes, may not be grounded adequately and should be upgraded.

The National Electric Code requires that GFCI outlets – with Test and Reset buttons – are installed in areas of the home where water may be present, such as your kitchen, baths, utility room, garage and outside locations.

If the wiring for your light switches or outlets is wrapped in cloth sheathing or bits of black rubber, you need to upgrade your home wiring to keep your family safe.

Appliances such as air conditioners, clothes dryers, refrigerators and furnaces use extra electricity when they start. This may be more than just a nuisance. An overloaded system can damage sensitive equipment.

Too much electrical current causes breakers to trip or fuses to melt. Don’t ignore this warning. Have your electrical system inspected and upgraded.

If you need to use extension cords on a regular basis, you probably need more outlets in your home. When you use extension cords to make up for a lack of outlets, you run the risk of placing too much demand on your electrical system. Extension cords placed under rugs or furniture may also be a safety hazard.

Rust on your main electrical service panel indicates a moisture problem, which can lead to further problems.

This may be an indication of a loose or deteriorating electrical connection, which could lead to shock or fire.

If your home is more than 25 years old, you should have your system inspected and if necessary, brought up to electrical code standards.

Now, why is the blue LED so important? Quite simply because there are no white LEDs. The white light that our eyes detect is created by using a blue LED and some yellow phosphor. The yellow phosphor coating may be placed directly on the blue LED or on the glass envelope that houses the blue LED. Either way when the blue light from the blue LED passes through the yellow phosphor the resulting light appears to be white.

In late 2014 at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, the three Japanese scientists who developed the blue LED while working at Nichia Chemicals will share the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the blue LED. In official terms the Nobel Committee awarded this year’s physics prize to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”

Furthermore, the Nobel Committee pointed out in its announcement that the results of all the scientists’ hard work will be on display everywhere as the three recipients make their way through Stockholm: “the light from their invention will be glowing in virtually all the windows of the city.” And they can be assured that, as this century progresses, the ascendancy of the LED will only become more dramatic.