Benefits of LED Lighting vs Traditional Fixture?

What Is LED Lighting?

LED (light-emitting diode) lights are the new standard for lighting. While traditional, incandescent bulbs used to dominate, in recent years, LED technology has advanced to the point that when you step into your corner store to buy a lightbulb, LED bulbs are what you’ll find. Simply put, you rarely even see an incandescent lightbulb for sale anymore outside of a discount shop, as traditional lighting is so archaic and inefficient. Indeed, an LED light lasts much longer, uses up a fraction of the energy and can be found in everything from your TV to the headlights in your car. 

Main Benefits for LED lights vs Traditional

But why bother with LED lights at all? People have been using incandescent (or traditional) lighting for years. Why change at all? There are several reasons that benefit everything from your wallet to the environment. 

1) Longer Lifespan

The fact is, LED lights last a whole lot longer than incandescent lights. They last about 40 times longer than an incandescent bulb. An average LED bulb lasts roughly 50,000 hours. Some last 100,000. This means you might not need to replace your light bulbs for a decade. Think about it. That saves you a lot of money on lightbulbs. It saves you a lot of hassle too.

2) Being Eco-friendly

The environmental benefits of LED lighting are numerous. For one thing, the lighting is more efficient and cuts down on light pollution. They are also more energy-efficient, so they cut down on energy costs. And finally, some light sources use mercury and are environmentally unsound. You don't have to worry about this with LED lighting. They are designed with low cost, low consumption and the environment in mind! 

3) Colour

LED lights have a broad colour spectrum. On the low end of the spectrum is a traditional yellow light, while on the higher end, you have blue light. Natural and white lighting are somewhere in the middle. If you have smart LED lights, you can even download the shade or colour that you want. LED lights give you tons of colour options!  Hello mood lighting!

4) LEDs Colour Rendering Index (CRI)

So what's a Colour Rendering Index (CRI)? It's the ability of a light source to render colours accurately. When aiming for natural or white lighting, which is somewhere in the middle of the colour spectrum, you want to opt for a bulb with a CRI index on the higher-end of the scale, which runs from 1 to 100. This index isn’t always written on LED bulb packaging. If you just want a traditional yellow bulb, don’t worry about it. But if your needs are specific, look for this information. 

5) Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT)

While Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) is measured in Kelvin units, we're not talking about heat. Instead, we're talking about the colour temperature. One would assume the brighter the light, the warmer the colour temperature, but the opposite is true. A lower temperature light gives you a bright yellow light, while the light gets more neutral or natural towards the middle of the scale, which runs from 1000 to 10,000 Kelvin units. So the highest colour temperature is cool blue, approximating a blue noon sky. 

6) Energy Efficient

Here's the thing - LED lights will save you money in a variety of ways. While they cost more upfront, we've seen that they last much longer than traditional bulbs. But, they're also very energy efficient. Incandescent bulbs draw anywhere from 40 to 150 watts of power. By comparison, an LED bulb only draws 4 to 22 watts on the higher end of the scale. They are far more effective, energy-wise, than incandescents, CFL's (compact fluorescent lights), or others. Your energy costs related to lighting will be only a fraction of what they were before. The bottom line is they use far less energy than other modes of lighting. They are the most energy-efficient lights on the market. 

7) Suitable in Cold Weather

Another significant advantage of LED lights is that they function well in cold temperatures. A typical incandescent bulb needs to draw a lot more energy in a cold temperature to run. By comparison, LED lights are about 5% more effective in cold temperatures, making them far more durable than other types of lighting. 

8) Zero Heat or UV Emissions

How many times have you burned your fingers when trying to change an incandescent light bulb after it burns out? Those things are hot! Incandescent light bulbs burn off 90% of their energy as excess heat, with only 10% of the energy used for light production. That's a key difference right there. LED lights stay cool because they emit no heat. They also don't give off any UV rays, making them ideal for light therapy or highlighting works of art. 

9) Design Flexibility

Even though many LED bulbs look similar to traditional light bulbs, the light-emitting diode is about the size of a speck of pepper. Put a bunch of them together, and you can make a lightbulb. Separate them, and you can make all kinds of custom lighting solutions that'll blow you away and spruce up your home and office. That gives designers tremendous flexibility when making designs that use LED lights. 

10) Less Voltage required 

This is especially important if you have lighting in a facility that could get wet or flood. Traditional line voltage systems need 120 volts to operate correctly. An LED system only needs 12 volts. This dramatically lessens the danger of electric shocks. 

11) Directional Light

A regular lightbulb constantly emits light in all directions. An LED light is far more precise. Sure, you can buy traditional 360 degree LED bulbs. Still, you can also purchase directional lights rather than omnidirectional, Don't waste illumination (and energy costs) on places you don't need them. 

12) LEDs are Dimmable 

In the olden days, you had to buy pricey, dangerous halogen lights or fragile fluorescent lamps if you wanted to dim your lights. LEDs are easily dimmable, assuming you have a dimmer switch or the technology needed to make them operate at this capacity. 

LED Lighting Frequently Asked Questions

Do LED Lights Get Hot?

No, LED lights do not get hot. They actually don't emit any heat. 

Do LED Lights Burn Out?

Yes, but it takes a long, long time. A typical LED light lasts anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 hours. That's 50 times longer than a traditional incandescent bulb. The time you spend buying replacements will be only a fraction of what you're used to. No more late-night trips to the corner store because your bathroom light or bedside lamp has burnt out. They may cost a little more upfront than traditional bulbs, but long-term they are cheaper and much more effective and convenient. 

Do LED Lights Flicker?

If the circuit is operating correctly, an LED light will not flicker. This is because they are very reliable and energy-efficient. If they flicker, you likely have a wiring problem or are using an incompatible dimmer. 

Are LED Lights Safe?

LED lights are incredibly safe. Not only did they not generate heat, but they don't give off harmful UV rays. They also operate on a very low voltage, so the risk of fire or getting an electrical shock from an LED light is minimal. 

For more info, please free to visit BAZZ Smart Home.