Hartland, WI (November 11, 2015)–Batteries Plus Bulbs, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing battery, light bulb, and smartphone/tablet repair franchise, today released new results from a nationwide survey with Kelton Research that assessed consumers’ knowledge of the lighting category and gathered insights on the importance of lighting in creating the right mood and ambiance in the home. While light bulbs are a staple in every home, the survey revealed that 84 percent of sampled Americans wish they had better room lighting, yet 34 percent feel in the dark about light bulbs—unsure of which options to buy. With the holidays quickly approaching, Batteries Plus Bulbs seeks to shed light on the best bulbs to buy to make homes a more comfortable and welcoming environment for relaxation and entertaining.

According to the survey, lighting is the most important factor for creating ambiance in the home (29 percent), trumping furniture (21 percent), decorations (16 percent), scent (13 percent), music (10 percent), and paint or wallpaper (6 percent). Further, nine in 10 respondents think it’s important to have lighting suited to various occasions. The most important occasions in this group are:

• 74 percent for entertaining or welcoming guests
• 65 percent for romantic dinners
• 58 percent for setting the mood in the bedroom

"The key takeaway from this survey is that while lighting is a key component to a happy home, many Americans need help with their purchases," said Danyelle Kukuk, Vice President of Category and Product Management for Batteries Plus Bulbs. "The latter part of the year typically sparks more activity at home as people have friends and family over to celebrate the major holidays. To help relieve stress and build consumers’ confidence when buying light bulbs, we aim to educate them on how to read lighting facts labels, the various energy-saving light bulb benefits and options available, and how much money they can save by switching to bulbs like LEDs."

Batteries Plus Bulbs offers the following tips, within their series of DIY videos, for purchasing specific light bulbs to set different tones in various rooms in your home:

The Living Room

• With 55 percent of respondents expressing the need for better lighting while reading and 19 percent wishing they had better lighting for watching TV, living room lighting should be located at eye-level, which will enhance warmth, make reading easier and avoid being too dim for the TV
• Soffit, valance, recessed or track lighting that is directed toward the wall, or plug-in floor lamps that have upward-facing bulbs to accent points of interest, enhance overall brightness
• Use LED PAR and MR 16 light bulbs (5000 – 6500k) to spotlight unique room elements like furniture and art

The Kitchen

• Thirty four percent of those sampled wished they had better lighting for cooking, as such, the kitchen must have versatile yet stimulating lighting
• Use bright white tones (4100k) for food prep areas, like counters, and warm tones (2700k) for food display areas, breakfast nooks and a more inviting dining experience at the kitchen table
• If you have a fixture with candle lights, using candle LEDs (2400k) can also be charming

The Dining Room

• Set the right tone for socialization and relaxation during the holidays by incorporating dimmable lighting to easily transition from an intimate setting to high-energy functions
• Lighting should be directed from one point on the ceiling to highlight the dining table, bringing focus to the meal without putting guests in the spotlight
• Buy warm, soft white dimmable LED bulbs (2700 – 3000k)

The Bedroom

• Achieve great mood lighting by ditching canned lights, which lack character and decrease intimacy, and—instead—use eye-level lamps, wall mounts, or chandeliers that instill drama and visual interest
• When getting ready for the day, 20 percent of survey respondents wished they had better lighting. In areas of the bedroom used for getting dressed or putting on makeup, use LEDs with color temperatures that mimic natural light, in the bright white to daylight color temperature range
• For areas of the room used to promote relaxation, purchase soft white LED bulbs (2700k) which are calm and inviting, and A-shape omni-directional LEDs (2700k), which are ideal for illuminating reading areas

This survey was conducted by Kelton Global online among 1,000 nationally representative Americans age 18 and over, with a margin of error of +/-3.1 percent. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. Population age 18 and over.