Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the four keys to purchasing the perfect light bulb. Last week we learned out color temperature is important to placing the right king of light in our living spaces.

So if we know that color temperature is important, then how to we make sure bulbs from different manufacturers or different boxes will live up to the color temperature listed on the packaging?

CRI, or color rendering index, is a measurement of how accurate the color temperature of the bulb will be. Just like the colors on a computer monitor, the color temperature of bulbs can vary slightly between product runs or manufacturers. In creative realms such as video production or photography, color temperature matching is vital, and this is where the focus on CRI began.

Nowadays, light bulb manufacturers are seeking to bring that same level of confidence into your home, utilizing a CRI scale of 1-100 to give you confidence in the color temperature of your bulb. Cheaper bulbs have CRI ratings in the 60s or 70s, and often won’t list the rating on the box, while better bulbs have scores in the 80s or 90s. Usually, the higher the rating, the more expensive the bulb!