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Back when recessed lighting really caught on, home ceilings were populated with 75 watt reflector bulbs. During the 1973 energy crisis, a Federal law mandated that such lamps had to be limited to 65 watts. When LED versions of the lamp were introduced, they were all "65 watt equivalent" brightness. Since the Federal law was targeted at energy usage, not excessive brightness, there is no reason why the LEDs should not be brighter, at least as bright as the 75 watt incandescents that were in the original design.
What was the effect of the 65 watt limitation? I believe it didn't do much to conserve energy:
- Higher wattage incandescent lamps are more than proportionately brighter than lower wattage lamps, so the 65 watt lamps are considerably dimmer.
- To achieve the same level of brightness, more wattage in 65 watt lamps must be used
- I could read in a room lit by 75 watt lamps, but I needed more light with the 65s, so I'd turn on another floor or table lamp, in addition to the ceiling lamps.
- Lighting designers would add more ceiling lights, more closely spaced, to achieve an acceptable level of brightness
Since LEDs are much more efficient, there is no reason why they should not be marketed in brighter versions, still keeping the BR-30 size.
