I hope the previous discussion of color temperature is useful. There is a lot of technical information that goes into understanding and effectively using color temperature. Here are some key points that you can rely on as being useful to you.
- Color temperature usually only matters for non-filament sources: fluorescents, compact fluorescents, metal-halide, induction, etc. (and it’s really the correlated color temperature, so it will be labeled CCT)
- There are many options for color temperatures of fluorescent lamps. Don’t just pick something up because it’s on the shelf. Think about the space and select a color temperature that is going to help. You may need to go somewhere and see some samples of different color temperatures before you decide.
- Higher color temperatures give a greater perception of brightness. There are complex optical reasons for this that you don’t really need to understand, just know that a CCT of 4000K will appear brighter than a CCT of 3000K even if the measurable quantity of light is equal.
- Color temperatures higher than 4200K tend to be perceived as too cold for comfort. They are useful for very visually-intensive tasks, so you find them in manufacturing facilities where there are lots of small parts being used, but not homes or professional offices.
- Color temperatures lower than 3000K will seem to be too amber during the daytime. Things may appear to be visually “mushy.” However, at night 3000K can be very nice.
- Typically, places used and lit during the daytime benefit from higher color temperatures and places used and lit during the nighttime will benefit from lower color temperatures.
- Dimming fluorescents will not shift the color like it does with incandescents and halogens. This is actually a negative, since during the daytime you need higher lighting levels and a higher color temperature to be comfortable, but in the evening you’ll want to turn down the intensity and color temperature.
- I have found the best middle of the road CCT for fluorescents is 3500K. No single color is going to be the best for every purpose, but 3500K is a pretty decent compromise.
- If you have fixtures will multiple lamps you can mix a warm and a cool to try control the balance of “white” light better. However, don’t mix colors from a single-lamp fixture to the next since it will be start to look just plain weird.
Tags: color, color temperature, complaints, fluorescents, tips
