How to choose spotlights and floodlights?

Perhaps you have been hearing the mention of floodlights and spotlights in various conversations lately. But maybe you are confused about what floodlights actually are and what spotlights are as well. Maybe you really do not know which ones you should use, though you have been wondering about getting some new lighting for various spaces.

You are not alone, as many people may have the same questions about floodlights and spotlights that you have. That is why we will answer several questions here in this article to help you to have better clarity in understanding more about floodlights and spotlights.

What is floodlight?

Flood lights are lights that provide artificial lighting for a wide space due to the fact that they produce a wide beam. They are used to light up large areas that need a wide coverage of light that a regular light is not able to provide. Therefore, it is realised that a floodlight is able to provide a beam that has a width of up to 120° degrees.

What is spotlight?

Spotlights provide a source of artificial light for a particular space with the aim of producing a beam that is rather narrow. It is particularly common for spotlights to create a focused ray of light that produces a width of coverage of up to only 120° degrees.

What is the difference?

Floodlights are selected when there is a need for lighting that will provide coverage for a large space. Floodlights are great to use as a result of the wide beam that they produce. In fact, they can provide a beam with a width of up to 120° degrees. With this being the case, floodlights are a top quality solution for stages, driveways, yards, etc.

On the other hand, when there is a desire for a beam of light that is narrow to focus on a particular item or point of interest within a designated area, then the right option is to use a spotlight. This is due to the fact that a spotlight produces a highly concentrated focus with the provision of a beam that is only up to 45° degrees in width.

How to choose floodlights and spotlights ?

When you need to provide a source of light for various spaces that are large, then you should buy some floodlights to install. Note that floodlights are ideal to use for the sake of illuminating warehouses, driveways, parking lots or stages and other large spaces.

If you would like to make wall art or specific display objects the central point of focus, then it is a good idea to use spotlights in these situations. In addition, spotlights are ideal to use when desiring to feature special elements of landscape designs as well as exterior and interior architectural details.

Whenever you are getting ready to make a purchase in regard to a floodlight or spotlight, it is always an imperative step to give consideration to determine the width of the beam that is needed from the floodlight or spotlight. It is not always beneficial to know the exact width of the beam of a light in terms of degrees. But rather it is relatively simpler to gain an understanding of the width of the beam by using the measurement of meter in relation to a designated distance.

The good news is that there is an easy formula that will help you to determine the needed width of the beam of light in feet.

The formula is as follows:

The angle of the beam multiplied by 0.018 and then multiplied by the distance from the light bulb is equivalent to the width of the beam of light.

Take into consideration for example, if the floodlight produces a beam of light which is the width of 80° degrees, and you desire to comprehend what the width of the beam of light will be from a distance of 3 meters, all you have to do is use the formula.

That means that you will multiply 80° degrees by 0.018 and then multiply that by 3 meters. The result is that the width of the beam of the floodlight will be 4.3 meters.

Then if you have a spotlight that produces a beam of light with a width of 30° degrees and desire to comprehend what the width of the beam of light will be from a distance of 4.5m, you can use the formula again.

That means that you multiply 30° degrees by 0.018 and then multiply 4.5 meters. The result is that the width of the beam of light of the spotlight will be 2.43 meters.

At Best Buy Lighting we have large range of floodlights and spotlight for your needs. You are welcome to visit our retail shop or check our online store for a massive selection of outdoor spotlights and Led floodlights.