LED lights, short for ‘light‐emitting diode’ are all the rage these days, and for good reason. They are energy‐efficient and contribute to lower utility bills while lessening the burden placed on energy companies. LED’s are starting to appear alongside fluorescent and incandescent bulbs in home goods and hardware stores, owing to their efficiency.
If you buy energy star rated LEDs, the power consumption is even less, with an efficiency of about 75% more than traditional incandescent bulbs. A survey by the US Department of Energy found LED bulbs last 25 times longer than traditional bulbs. They have twice the life span of CFLs (compact fluorescent lighting).
The reason they are so efficient is that they emit light in a specific direction instead of spreading it out indiscriminately in all directions. The best part being that they don’t emit great amounts of heat, something you’ll notice is a growing concern with traditional bulbs.
Studies suggest that most homes that use LED bulbs over halogen bulbs can save at least £300 per year on their lighting costs.
Even the most efficient incandescent and CFL bulbs release most of their energy as heat, which is about 90% and 80%, respectively. Incandescent and CFL bulbs are likely where the phrase ‘light bulbs that are too hot to handle’ originated.
What Are Halogen Bulbs?
Halogen bulbs, also known as quartz halogen or tungsten halogen lamps, are incandescent bulbs that utilise a halogen gas to increase the lifespan of the device and its light output. These bulbs are known for their moderately higher efficiency compared to regular incandescent bulbs.
What Is the Difference Between LED Bulbs and Halogen?
Think of halogen bulbs as a slightly more enhanced version of incandescent bulbs. In incandescent light bulbs, the electricity runs up the filament to incandescence. Halogen light bulbs utilise a quartz capsule that is filled with bromine and iodine gas, both of these are inert.
The flow of electricity kickstarts what is known as the ‘halogen cycle’, in which the particles ‐ that usually burn off from the tungsten filament in traditional incandescent bulbs ‐ are deposited back onto the filament with the help of the halogen, allowing the bulb to be used for a longer time. This ingenious mechanism increases the average lifespan of halogen bulbs to 2500 hours instead of the usual 800 to 1200 hours.
Modern LED bulbs are as bright as halogen bulbs while using 85% less power, but they last much, much longer. This means an 8‐watt LED bulb can easily replace a halogen bulb rated at 50 watts and you won’t notice any dip in the room’s luminosity. That being said, an LED bulb will cost you higher than halogen bulbs. This price gap is slowly closing as LED technology continues to evolve.
In fact, most homeowners easily recoup the up‐front cost invested in LED bulbs as compared to halogen bulbs. The best part is that LED bulbs will last significantly longer than halogen bulbs by a factor of about 10. LED bulbs also consume significantly less energy, which is why it pays to choose LED over halogen bulbs.
LED bulbs have lower operating temperatures than halogen bulbs. This is because they convert 90% of energy into light instead of heat, which means you won’t get burnt when you touch them. Halogen bulbs convert a much larger percentage of their energy input into heat. So to produce the same amount of light, LEDs require only a fraction of the power input.
Lumens – A Unit That Measures the Quantity of Visible Light
A 100 watt LED light bulb will produce around 11,500 lumens. In contrast, a 100‐watt halogen bulb will produce around 1900 lumens. This is a huge difference that will reflect on your energy bills!
How to Replace Halogen Bulbs with LED Bulbs
It is entirely possible to replace halogen bulbs with LED bulbs with the exception in the case of MR11, G5, and MR16 spotlight bulbs which require an additional driver. LED bulbs require DC electricity to operate, which means that the standard AC supply in houses will have to be first converted to DC in order to power them. Most LED bulbs are built in such a way that they do the conversion themselves, which makes it easy to swap halogen bulbs out for LED bulbs.
In the case of MR16, G5, and MR11 spotlight bulbs, this conversion does not take place in the bulb and you will need to install a driver that can convert AC supply do DC supply before it reaches the LED light fixture.
The Advantages of LED Bulbs
Here are just 13 of the main benefits you’ll get once you’ve installed LED bulbs!
1. Last Longer Than Incandescent and CFL Bulbs
LED bulbs are designed to work for a whopping 35,000 hours, with the higher end bulbs working for up to 100,000 hours. This means the average LED bulb will last you 15 years, as long as you used it for six to eight hours a day. This is more than 2 to 4 times as long as metal halide, fluorescent, and even sodium vapour lights. Its life span is about 40 times longer than the average incandescent bulb.
Since you won’t be replacing the bulb as frequently, your maintenance costs are lowered in terms of labour costs. Plus you won’t have to pay for replacement parts since you won’t need them. The only time you’ll need a new LED bulb is if you decide to change the interior decor.
2. Energy-Efficient
LEDs consume tiny amounts of electric power since they emit light only when current flows. They have at least 90 to 95% efficiency, which means that only about 10 to 5% is emitted as heat and wasted. The rest is converted into light. By comparison, incandescent bulbs will lose a significant portion of their energy as heat, which makes them only 20% as efficiency.
If you replace all your existing incandescent and CFL bulbs with LED bulbs, you’ll begin to notice immediate gains in your monthly energy bills. The savings are huge!
3. Good for the Environment
LED bulbs do not contain any toxic compounds such as mercury. This is true whether you consider it from the manufacturer’s perspective or use in homes and offices. You could argue that LED bulbs are the ‘lesser of two evils’ compared to the other two alternatives. Since they consume less power for the same light output, LED bulbs relieve the burden on fossil fuels and other non‐renewable sources of energy.
This means that LED bulbs will help you reduce your carbon footprint by about a third. The fact that you won’t have to replace them as often means that manufacturers also save on production and material costs.
Since LED bulbs are not made of toxic chemicals that could harm the environment, they can be disposed of properly.
4. Safe to Use
Safety isn’t prioritised in most homes when it comes to electrical equipment, particularly light fixtures. Researches argue that the primary hazard when it comes to lighting is the emission of heat because it can lead to fires. At most, LED bulbs only dissipate 10% of their energy as heat, which for the most part, gets absorbed into the environment without creating too many safety issues.
Moreover, since LEDs are so efficient and can use low power, they can be operated on low voltage electrical systems. This makes them ideal for outdoor use, such as garden rooms and camping. In fact, you can easily run them off of a solar energy source in remote areas.
5. Work Like a Charm
LED lights can be turned on and off as many times as you want without affecting their performance in the long run. By contrast, halogen lights will take a few minutes to achieve their maximum output, and if you constantly turn them on and off, their lifespan will be reduced.
6. Produce Zero UV Emissions
LED bulbs emit most of their light in the visible spectrum, with only a tiny amount being produced in the infrared spectrum. The amount of energy gets emitted in the ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This makes LEDs safer to use with UV sensitive items such as artwork that will degrade and break down over time if they are exposed to incandescent bulbs.
7. Offer the Best Colour Rendering Index
Colour Rendering Index (CRI) measures light’s ability to show the actual colour of materials in the room when compared to natural light (ideal light source). High CRI is a desirable characteristic, and LEDs have very good CRI ratings. By comparison, incandescent and traditional bulbs are not good at revealing the true colour of the objects.
Most LED light fixtures have a CRI index in the range of 65 and 95, which is considered extremely high.
8. Generate Light in a Specific Direction
The LED technology is such that it emits light across 1880 degrees only. This is because LED bulbs, like conventional diodes, allow the flow of electrons in one direction and opposed to the flow in the opposite direction. Traditional light bulbs emit light across all directions, which is 360 degrees. This may require the use of accessory devices to redirect or reflect the light.
This will increase the cost of the lighting system in general and also result in losses, resulting in further loss of energy.
9. Tiny
Most LED bulbs are extremely small which makes them incredibly robust and adaptable for a range of lighting applications. The small size of LED bulbs allows them to be used in circuit board lighting, traffic signals, commercial and residential property applications, modern mood lighting, and high‐powered stadium lighting.
10. Durable and Tough
LED bulbs are made using strong and durable components that can stand up to the harsh weather and the toughest of urban environments including vibrations, abrasion, and shock. Part of the reason why they are so durable is that they use fewer components.
In fact, LED bulbs are much less likely to shatter if they are hit by an external object or dropped on the ground. They use a chip coated in an epoxy resin rather than neon gas or a filament. Traditional bulbs such as incandescent and fluorescent bulbs use fragile components that are susceptible to breakage.
LED bulbs can also function reliably in low and high‐temperature conditions.
11. Can Be Dimmed
LED bulbs can function at any percentage of their rated power (from 0 to 100%). This will require hardware components that are specific to LED technology in order to dim them. You cannot use dimming equipment for a fluorescent or incandescent bulb. Most LED bulbs operate at less than their full power; their efficiency has been known to increase in low power output situations. This also increases the bulb’s lifespan.
Bulbs that use metal halides are not able to take advantage of these technologies and actually become less efficient at lower power, and in some cases, cannot be dimmed.
12. Promote Plant Growth
Studies have found that the presence of conventional bulbs near plants can significantly alter their growth because they noticeably increase the temperature of their vicinity. LED lights, on the other hand, are better because they provide cooler light in the area. This doesn’t mean you can use regular LED lights to grow your plant since they will not provide enough of the light spectrum or heat to plants in order for them to photosynthesise. However, you can buy specialised LED bulbs that grow plants.
13. Do Not Attract Bugs and Insects
This is particularly important in outdoor settings where bugs and insects pose a serious threat to traditional incandescent light bulbs. This is because the hot surface of the traditional bulb generates specific wavelengths that attract insects. Although LED bulbs don’t completely eliminate this issue, they attract far fewer of these bugs and insects which aesthetically pollute the environment.
If you are looking to buy LED light fixtures or want more information on LEDs, consider reaching out to MP Moran. We’re always ready to help!