LED bulbs are the fastest way to modernize a fixture you already own: keep the fixture, change the bulb, and get instant full brightness with far less energy and heat than an incandescent, halogen or fluorescent lamp. This category gathers LED light bulbs for every common socket in Canadian homes and commercial buildings: the everyday A19 on an E26 base, PAR and BR reflectors, GU10 and MR16 spots, G4 and G9 capsules, filament bulbs, PL plug-in lamps and HID retrofit lamps.
Homeowners will find warm 2700 K and 3000 K bulbs for lamps, chandeliers and pot lights, many of them dimmable. Contractors and property managers will find 120-277 V and 347 V lamps that replace compact fluorescent and HID lamps inside existing fixtures, with cUL, CSA, DLC or Energy Star listings, from Light Efficient Design, Turolight, Ortech, Lumifaro and Lumenstarled. Match the base first, then compare lumens, colour and dimming.
Two codes describe every bulb. The shape code (A19, BR30, PAR38, MR16) gives the profile and, for most families, the diameter in eighths of an inch: an A19 is 19/8 in wide. The base code (E26, E12, GU10, G9, G24Q) tells you which socket it fits.
| Bulb family | Bases | Example in this category | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| A19 / A21 | E26 | Ortech A19, 15 W, 1600 lm | Lamps, ceiling fixtures |
| BR20 / BR30 | E26 | Ortech BR20, 6 W, 500 lm, 120° beam | Recessed cans |
| PAR20 / PAR30 / PAR38 | E26 | Turolight PAR38, 16 W, 1400 lm, CRI 90 | Track and accent lighting |
| MR16 / GU10 | GU10, GU5.3 | Turolight Vaso MR16, 5 W, 500 lm | Track heads, small pot lights |
| G4 / G9 | G4, G9 | Lumenstarled G9, 3 W, 120 V | Pendants, sconces, path lights |
| Filament | E26, E12 | Ortech ST19, 8 W, 800 lm | Exposed bulbs, chandeliers |
| PL plug-in | G24Q, G24D, G23-2, 2G11 | Light Efficient Design PLL 22 in, 17 W, 2200 lm | Commercial downlights |
| HID retrofit | E26, E39, EX39 | Light Efficient Design, 320 W for up to 1000 W HID | Wall packs, post tops, parking lots |
The classic bulb shape lights table lamps, ceiling fixtures, closets and basements. Among the A19 and A21 LED bulbs, the Ortech A19 dimmable 9 W bulb gives 800 lumens at 3000 K over a 220° beam, and its 15 W sibling reaches 1600 lumens for a large room. Turolight adds 5CCT models with five colour settings and a frosted A15 at 450 lumens. For 10-30 V DC systems, Lumenstarled makes a 7 W low-voltage A19-style bulb.
Reflector bulbs aim their light where you need it: pot lights, track heads and accent lighting. Among the PAR, GU10 and MR16 LED bulbs, BR20 and BR30 models give a soft, wide flood for recessed cans, while PAR20, PAR30 and PAR38 models throw a crisper beam. The Turolight Vivid PAR38 puts out 1400 lumens at 16 W with CRI 90 and a 25° beam, ideal for displays and high ceilings, and the Vivid PAR20 dim-to-warm shifts from 3000 K to 2200 K as you dim. GU10 and MR16 spots typically draw 5 to 6.5 W for 500 lumens, with a 40° beam on several models.
Small capsules light pendants, sconces and path lights. The Lumenstarled G9 LED bulb runs on 120 V at 3 W, in 3000 K, 4000 K or 6000 K, and stays far cooler than the halogen capsule it replaces. Turolight makes a 2.5 W G4 bulb at 4000 K, and Lumenstarled adds 12 V T10 bulbs and a 10-30 V DC BA15D bulb. G4 bulbs are usually 12 V, so check the fixture voltage first.
LED filament bulbs recreate the look of an Edison bulb with thin LED strands behind clear glass, perfect for exposed pendants and dining room chandeliers. The Ortech ST19 filament bulb gives 800 lumens at 8 W and 2700 K and is dimmable, and Turolight offers B10 bulbs on an E12 candelabra base. The globe and decorative LED bulbs include the Lumenstarled S11, a 1 W, 2700 K clear glass bulb on an E26 base, ETL approved.
Around parking lots and buildings, corn and HID retrofit LED bulbs replace metal halide, high-pressure sodium and mercury vapour lamps inside existing shoe boxes, wall packs, post tops and bollards. Light Efficient Design rates each lamp by the HID wattage it replaces: a 20 W retrofit for up to 70 W HID, a 35 W post top retrofit for up to 175 W, and the 320 W shoe box and wall pack retrofit for up to 1000 W HID, on an EX39 base at 277-480 V. Its FlexWatt bollard lamps let you set 12, 18 or 24 W and 3000, 4000 or 5000 K on site. For a full building retrofit, see the commercial LED lighting guide for Quebec.
Commercial downlights often hold plug-in compact fluorescent lamps. PL and fluorescent retrofit LED bulbs cover G24Q, G24D, G23-2 and GX23-2 bases, plus 2G11 PLL lamps from 9 to 22 in; the 22 in model produces 2200 lumens at 17 W. Check the wiring type before ordering:
Check the orientation too (horizontal, vertical or omni-directional) to match the position of the lamp.
Watts measure what a bulb draws; lumens measure the light it gives. Around 450 to 500 lumens suits a small fixture, 800 lumens is the everyday A19 and 1600 lumens lights a large room. To size a room, see the lumens per room guide.
3000 K and 4000 K are the most common values in this category. 2700 K and 3000 K feel warm in living rooms and bedrooms, 3500 K and 4000 K give a neutral white for kitchens, offices and stores, and 5000 K suits garages and workshops. 3CCT and 5CCT bulbs let you choose on site.
Many bulbs here are dimmable, but not all. A dimmable bulb needs a dimmer rated for LED loads; the Turolight GU10, for example, works with leading-edge and trailing-edge dimmers. See LED dimmers for compatible controls.
Household bulbs run on 120 V, while commercial retrofits are rated 120-277 V, 347 V or 277-480 V: a 120-277 V lamp cannot run on 347 V. Look for cUL or CSA marks, DLC listings on commercial retrofits and Energy Star on household bulbs, CRI 90 where colours matter and a damp or wet location rating for bathrooms and outdoor fixtures.
Most household bulbs, including the A19 and the A21, use the E26 medium screw base. Chandeliers often use the smaller E12 candelabra base, and large commercial lamps an E39 or EX39 mogul base.
A GU10 has two thick pins that twist and lock into a line-voltage socket. An MR16 usually has a GU5.3 bi-pin base and runs on 12 V through a transformer, so check the base and the fixture voltage.
Yes, if the bulb is marked dimmable and the dimmer is designed for LED loads. Otherwise the bulb can flicker, buzz or fail early.
It depends on the type: ballast-compatible lamps (electronic ballast only) use the ballast in place, line-voltage lamps are wired directly once the ballast is removed, and hybrid (A+B) lamps work either way.
Yes. HID retrofit lamps are rated by the HID wattage they replace, for example a 50 W retrofit for an HID lamp of up to 175 W. Match the base, the voltage and the space inside the fixture.
Ready to switch? Start with A19 and A21 LED bulbs for everyday fixtures, then explore reflector, filament and retrofit lamps.
