We Love the New Plumen Bulb
Finally! A compact fluorescent that’s as beautiful as it is energy-efficient. Many of our Industrial lighting options were made to show the bulb, and it’s exciting to have such an artful bulb to show — especially since it’s five times as efficient as an incandescent.
Here’s a little history: The Plumen bulb was developed by a group in the UK and now it is available to sell in the US. In the UK, this bulb was given The Brit Insurance Design of the Year award in 2011. It’s no wonder: This 11W, low energy, high output light bulb adds a fresh design element to open or clear shades and bare bulb fixtures.
For example, here it is shown with our new cylindrical shade for our versatile Hood fixture.
Light Bulbs 101
With the changing technologies and the many choices we have today, picking a light bulb can be a little overwhelming. Here are a few tidbits about what it all means.
Lumens vs. Wattage
A Lumen is the measure of the total light emitted from a source. Light bulbs, by law, list their output in Lumens. The higher the Lumens, the more light output. Wattage is the amount of power that it takes to light the bulb.
Efficiency is measured in Lumens per Watt. Think of it like miles per gallon in an automobile. You might be able to travel 800 miles on a tank of gas, but what does that say about your efficiency? Does it take 20 gallons of gas to go 800 miles (40 miles per gallon) or 80 gallons of gas (10 miles per gallon)? There is a big difference and you need to know both total miles and the number of gallons to calculate your efficiency. Right?
Likewise, with light bulbs, you need to know both Lumens and Wattage to calculate the efficiency. Two bulbs can both emit 800 Lumens, but knowing how many Watts it took to power that bulb gives you the bulb’s efficiency. Is it an 8 Watt CFL or a 40 Watt Incandescent? The CFL produces 100 Lumens per Watt and the incandescent only produces 20 Lumens per Watt. So, the CFL is five times more efficient.
Color
Color temperatures for light bulbs are measured in units called Kelvin (K). Most light bulbs for home use are in the 2700K-5500K range. Higher numbers are called cooler temperatures or colors and have a bluer look. Lower numbers are called warmer temperatures or colors. For example, a candle flame is 1850K and moon light is 4100K.
Below is a summary for the four types of bulbs that we carry:
LED
- Color: Warm White at 2700K
- Brightness: 450 or 800 Lumens
- Lifetime: Tested to 25,000 hours
- Efficiency: 56 or 64 lumens/watt
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs- GU 24 or Screw-in
Compact Fluorescent Bulb
- Color: Warm White to Daylight (2700K-5500K)
- Brightness: range from 630 to 1850 Lumens
- Lifetime: most are 6,000-15,000 hours
- Efficiency: 50-68 lumens/watt
Incandescent Bulbs
- Color: Warm White to Daylight (2700K-5500K)
- Brightness: range from 600 to 1230 Lumens
- Lifetime: most are 750-1,000 hours
- Efficiency: 11-12 lumens/watt
Carbon Filament Bulbs
- Color: Warm, decorative glow (not an exact measure, but less than 2000K)
- Brightness: approximately 340 Lumens
- Lifetime: No standard rating
- Efficiency: approximately 8 lumens/watt
The Plumen bulb is pluperfect!
I have avoided exposed bulbs because they are ugly. This is great.
Can you tell us the color temperature of the plumen? That’s the critical detail for most CF bulbs I’ve seen, some of which make us look like vampires. Thanks for your thoughtful explanation of light bulbs, complete with temperature!
If it is a CFL containing Mercury Vapor (A toxin and not environmentally friendly), then I am still not interested. Would like to see a better looking and warmer LED for a reasonable cost. (price of incandescent x extended life of LED bulb)
Is this lamp dimmable?
The color temperature of the Plumen is 2700K, which is at the warm end of the spectrum. Travis, you should not look like a vampire with with bulb, unless you are one and then I can’t help you.
Neil- Unfortunately, this bulb is not compatible with dimmers.
Robert- you are correct, like all CFLS, this bulb contains a small amount of Mercury. Proper disposal is key.
Like most technology, the first LED bulbs have been expensive and not great, but that is changing rapidly. The good news is that it is getting better all the time and the prices are dropping quickly too. There are choices out there with a warm light. Look for something in the 2700K range, like the two we carry at Rejuvenation.
What a great explanation and comparison. thanks
here’s the link to the Plumen with the info
http://www.rejuvenation.com/fixshow100964/templates/selection.phtml
11 watt (equivalent to 55W incandescent)
Color: Soft White
Color Temperature (K): 2700
Light Output: 630 Lumens
7.25in. H, 4in. diameter
Lasts up to 8,000 hours
I wrote a message about the bulb and webpage being invisible.. My bad.. when I came back to my computer after writing a comment, my screen had gone completely white. when I tried to reset turned out that my contrast function has broken and I can now only see with the contrast and brightness turned all the way down. I suspect that when I viewed your page the contrast had already shifted too far for me to see the white bulb on white background. I checked from another computer and the website is fine.
Apologies Daniel
No worries! You were nice to write us back so we didn’t scramble to figure out what was wrong on our end. Have a good one!
[...] Yes, most of us well intended folks want to save energy and help out the planet, but do we have to do it with those hideously ugly CFL’s? Here’s a beautiful solution, a graceful compact fluorescent that can actually add to the design factor of your home lighting. Here’s the link so you know the difference between your lumens and your watts- and a tradition bending light to show off your bright ideas. put.http://blog.rejuvenation.com/stories/introducing-the-plumen/ [...]