As LEDs increasingly replace conventional incandescent and halogen light bulbs, they’ve introduced a new variable for your lighting schemes: light colour. Suddenly, we have a choice between warm white, neutral white, cool white and cold white.
The warmth or coolness of light is expressed as its “colour temperature”. This is measured using the Kelvin scale, abbreviated to the letter K. A colour temperature of 3000K is referred to as “warm white”, while 4000K is “cool white”. It’s a bit counter-intuitive, but the higher the K-number, the colder the light it’s describing.
| Colour Temperature | Light Quality & Ambience | Applications & Suitability | Brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800K Ultra warm white | Produces a rich amber-orange glow with heavy red tones similar to a candle flame or smouldering camp fire. | Indoors, usually used for decorative mood lighting. Outdoors, especially suitable for Dark Skies lighting schemes where the wellbeing of local fauna is a high priority. | Hudson Lighting |
| 2200K Extra warm white | Produces an amber-white light similar to candlelight or vintage Edison-style filament light bulbs. Warm, intimate and atmospheric. | Wildlife-friendly for Dark Skies schemes. | Hudson Lighting, Hunza Lighting, LuxR Lighting |
| 2700K Warm white | Produces a soft, warm and inviting ambience, with more yellow than cooler light temperatures. An exact match for the light colour of halogen light bulbs. | By far the most popular light colour for both indoors and outdoors, it’s also acceptable for Dark Skies outside lighting schemes. | Hudson Lighting, Hunza Lighting, LuxR Lighting |
| 3000K Warm white | Produces a slightly whiter version of warm white with less yellow in the mix. Appears a little whiter and brighter than 2700K, for a clean yet still warm ambience. | Less popular for outside lighting than 2700K, but still widely used, especially in contemporary garden designs. | Hudson Lighting, Hunza Lighting, LuxR Lighting |
| 4000K Neutral or cool white | Produces a cool white light colour with less yellow that’s closer to daylight. | Many feel it’s a bit harsh for outdoor nighttime settings. It comes into its own in commercial locations such as retail display, food preparation, bathrooms and commercial exteriors. | Hunza Lighting, LuxR Lighting |
A generally accepted rule of thumb is that it’s not advisable to use more than one light colour in the same location. If the light fittings are close enough together,
you will notice the difference between the ight colours and the effect can be a little unsettling.
