Halogen to LED: What Changes When You Swap

Shop by lumens, not watts

Watts tell you what a bulb draws. Lumens tell you what it gives. With halogen the two rise together, so people learned to shop by watts. With LED that habit misleads.

"Lumens measure brightness: more lumens means brighter, while fewer lumens means dimmer."

Federal Trade Commission, read 1 October 2026

ENERGY STAR puts it the same way.

"Brightness is a description of light output, which is measured in lumens (not watts)."

ENERGY STAR, read 1 October 2026

So compare the lumens on the two pages. A 7 watt LED sold as a 50 watt replacement may give less light than the halogen it follows.

The color of white

Halogen gives one color, a warm white near 2800K. LED comes in several. 2700K is close to halogen. 5000K is a daylight white that looks crisp on a workbench and cold in a bedroom.

"The Lighting Facts label will tell you where that bulb falls on the warm (more yellow) to cool (more blue) range."

Federal Trade Commission, read 1 October 2026

Pick one color for every bulb on a track or a vanity bar. Mixed whites side by side look like a fault.

• 2200KAmber. Candle-like and golden. For mood light.
• 2700KWarm white. The color of a classic bulb. For living rooms and bedrooms.
• 2800KHalogen warm. Our halogen bulbs. Warm with a touch more sparkle.
• 3000KWarm white, crisp. A shade whiter. Good for kitchens.
• 5000KDaylight. Neutral white. For work areas, garages and makeup mirrors.

Dimming and heat

Every halogen dims on an ordinary dimmer. LED is mixed. Our filament bulbs, globes and the PAR38 LED dim. The GU10 LED, the MR16 LED and the E12 candelabra LED do not, and on a dimmer they may flicker.

Heat is the other change. A halogen runs hot, and some fixtures count on it. A candle warmer lamp is one. An LED stays cool, which is a gain in a small shade and a loss in a warmer.