A Quick Guide to LEDs

A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. LEDs are known for their efficiency, long lifespan, and versatility. Here are some key points about LEDs:

Efficiency: LEDs convert most of the energy they consume into light, which makes them much more energy-efficient compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.
Longevity: LEDs have a significantly longer lifespan, often lasting tens of thousands of hours before needing replacement.
Durability: LEDs are solid-state devices, making them more resistant to shock and vibration than other light sources.
Versatility: LEDs come in a variety of colors and can be used in a wide range of applications, from household lighting to electronic displays and traffic signals.
Environmental Impact: LEDs contain no hazardous materials like mercury, making them more environmentally friendly.

LED technology has revolutionized lighting by providing a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional lighting solutions.

A close-up of LED lights, clearly showing the light-emitting diodes.

LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) offer several advantages over incandescent and CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) bulbs in terms of efficiency, lifespan, environmental impact, and overall performance. Here's a detailed comparison:

Efficiency

LEDs: Highly efficient, converting about 80-90% of their energy into light. They use significantly less power than incandescent and CFL bulbs for the same light output.
Incandescent Bulbs: Very inefficient, converting only about 10% of their energy into light, with the rest being lost as heat.
CFLs: More efficient than incandescent bulbs but less efficient than LEDs. They convert about 60-70% of their energy into light.

Lifespan

LEDs: Extremely long-lasting, with lifespans ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 hours or more.
Incandescent Bulbs: Short lifespan, typically lasting around 1,000 hours.
CFLs: Moderate lifespan, usually lasting between 8,000 to 15,000 hours.

Environmental Impact

LEDs: Environmentally friendly as they contain no hazardous materials and are fully recyclable. They also produce less heat and reduce energy consumption.
Incandescent Bulbs: Environmentally unfriendly due to high energy consumption and short lifespan. They also produce a lot of heat.
CFLs: Contain small amounts of mercury, which can be harmful if the bulb breaks or is improperly disposed of. They are more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs but less than LEDs.

Performance

LEDs: Provide instant full brightness, are available in various colors, and offer dimmable options. They are also more durable and resistant to shocks and vibrations.
Incandescent Bulbs: Provide warm light and instant full brightness but are fragile and can break easily.
CFLs: Take a few seconds to reach full brightness, may flicker, and are less durable than LEDs. They offer a range of color temperatures but are typically less versatile.

Cost

LEDs: Higher initial cost but lower overall cost due to energy savings and longer lifespan.
Incandescent Bulbs: Low initial cost but higher overall cost due to high energy consumption and frequent replacements.
CFLs: Moderate initial cost and energy savings, but higher overall cost compared to LEDs due to shorter lifespan and environmental disposal considerations.

In summary, LEDs outperform both incandescent and CFL bulbs in nearly every aspect, making them the preferred choice for most lighting applications.

LEDs are often the go-to solution for making your home or business lighting more energy efficient. We'll explore what makes them different from traditional lights, and how the benefits of LEDs extend beyond reducing your energy usage.

LEDs and heat

While LEDs produce significantly less heat as a by-product compared to other bulb options, it's still important that the bulbs are correctly set-up to dissipate any heat they do produce.

LED lighting systems don’t radiate heat the way an incandescent or halogen light bulb does, meaning the heat produced from the power going into the product must be drawn away from the LEDs. This is usually done with a heat sink, which is a passive device that absorbs the heat produced and dissipates it into the surrounding environment. This keeps LEDs from overheating and burning out.

Thermal management is probably the single most important factor in the successful performance of an LED product over its lifetime because the higher the temperature at which the LEDs are operated, the more quickly the light will degrade, and the shorter the useful life will be.

LED products use a variety of unique heat sink designs and configurations to manage heat, so they may look very different from each other. Regardless of the heat sink design, all LED products that have earned the ENERGY STAR have been tested to ensure that they properly manage the heat so that the light output is properly maintained through the end of its rated life.

The lumen difference between tradition lights and LEDs

Traditional Lamps

Traditional lamps (HID, Metal Halide, Mercury Vapour and fluorescent lamps) emit light in all directions, which means they require reflectors inside the luminaires to “bounce” as much light as possible away from the lamp and fixture components to the target area. However, not all light can be effectively redirected; typically, 40% or more of the light emitted from the lamp is trapped within the luminaire and does not reach the target area.

As a result, the stated lumen output of traditional globes tends to have a greater variation compared to the actual number of lumens coming out of the fittings. Most companies will supply a LOR (light output rating - this may have D or U in front of it for Downward or Upward light) for their fittings (expressed as a percentage), that will tell you what the minimum amount of lumen loss is. It is worth noting that this is done with new clean reflectors, and the actual amount of lumen loss will get higher as the fitting ages due to corrosion and dust reducing the efficiency of the reflectors.

LED Lights

LED lights deliver the majority their light in a reduced beam angle and usually do not require an external reflector for the light so they have a higher LOR.

This means that the amount of lumens shown is usually what the fitting will actually deliver. It's worth noting that there are some companies that promote “Chip LUMENS”; this means the number of lumens that the chips actually produces and does not take into account any losses due to clear covers etc. that may be put over the fitting to protect the LED chips (even clear glass will reduce light by 4% plus).