How To Know If You're Buying The Brightest Outdoor Lights

When you need to light up your back patio or the area around your garage, a bright outdoor light will do the trick. But when you're looking for an extra-bright light, it can be hard to know which one to opt for, unless you understand the lingo on the back of the box. Specifically, you'll want to look for a light bulb's lumens, which measure the visible light it emits. Outdoor light bulbs generally range from 100 to 1,300 lumens, and the higher the number, the brighter the bulb.

Aside from lumens, you also need to consider color temperature, which is measured in kelvins (K). Light bulbs come in a range of warm to cool tones, and ignoring color temperature is a mistake everyone makes when buying light bulbs. The Kelvin scale ranges from 1,000 K to 10,000 K, and a warm-toned light bulb is on the lower end. It casts a softer, cozy glow, which is typical of what you'd find in most home light fixtures. A cool-toned bulb falls on the higher end of the Kelvin scale and often feels brighter, mimicking daylight. A neutral bulb falls somewhere in between.

When choosing a bulb, you'll want to avoid the outdoor lighting mistakes that everyone makes, which means selecting the right brightness the first time around. If you're looking for a bright light that can serve as a security light or floodlight, you'll want a bulb with at least 700 lumens. However, if you're just looking to light up your patio for entertaining purposes, you might find that level of brightness harsh on the eyes. In that instance, a lumen range of 100 to 400 would be more appropriate, depending on the size of your space and the number of light fixtures in the area. The best type of lighting for a small porch may be dimmer than the best type for a large porch or deck, for example.

When shopping for light bulbs, you might find many outdoor light bulbs labeled "bright" or "extra-bright," but these are usually just marketing terms. Instead, look at the lumens. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires manufacturers to include a label on the box that details the bulb's brightness in lumens, color temperature, estimated yearly energy cost, and lifespan. Looking at the lumens and color temperature can help ensure you're buying the brightest outdoor lights.