LED bulbs are ready to light your home – 7 tips you should know

a.The new Lumens rating makes buying LED bulbs much simpler

Choosing a light bulb today is more complicated than ever, and the choice of bulbs keeps growing. Consumers have to choose between incandescents, CFLs, halogens and LEDs, and a multitude of sizes and shapes, different bases, and of course widely differing prices.

The FTC has recently mandated that, by 2012, all light bulb packages will be standardized with new labels which will make it much easier to buy light bulbs, whether they be incandescent, LED, CFL or halogen. The main indicator on the light bulb package will be “lumens”, which will replace the current “watts”. Lumens represents the amount of light emitted by a light source, and is a more accurate measure of the brightness of a bulb.

Incandescent Watts	CFL Watts	LED Watts	Lumens (Brightness)
40 60 75 – 100 100 150	8 – 12 13 – 18 18 – 22 23 – 30 30 – 55	4 – 5 6 – 8 9 – 13 16 – 20 25 – 28	450 890 1210 1750 2780

So no matter what kind of bulb you are interested in, simply comparing lumens will enable you to compare the brightness level each bulb will deliver. After you determine the lumen level you prefer, you can then look to other indicators such as energy efficiency, lifetime run cost, and dimmability to select the ideal bulb for your application.

To learn more about the upcoming new labelling system for all light bulbs, see our article: Lumens are the New Watts.

b. LED bulbs contain no mercury

One of the hurdles to broad consumer acceptance of energy-efficient CFL bulbs is the presence of a small amount of mercury in the bulbs. Consumers are concerned that they may be adding mercury to the environment when the bulb is disposed. If a CFL bulb is broken, consumers are advised to treat the broken bulb as a hazardous material.

The mercury issue with CFLs is confusing because manufacturers reason that actually less mercury enters the environment when CFLs are used to replace incandescent bulbs. A power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb compared to only 2.4mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time. The net benefit of using the more energy efficient lamp is positive, and this is especially true if the mercury in the fluorescent lamp is kept out of the waste stream when the lamp expires. However, this reasoning only applies if your electricity comes from coal-fired sources.

The presence of mercury in CFL bulbs is a real issue with consumers. At Eartheasy’s online store, we have discontinued selling CFLs because of customer concern over the presence of mercury in CFL bulbs.

LED bulbs contain no mercury, so there is no special concern with handling or disposal of LED bulbs.

c. LEDs give instant light, and many LED bulbs are dimmable

When turning on CFLs and tubular fluorescent light bulbs, there is a slight hesitation before brightness is achieved, and some bulbs may flicker during warm up or even during operation. Unlike fluorescents, LED bulbs, like incandescent bulbs, reach full illumination as soon as they are turned on. This is a real advantage over CFL bulbs in areas of the home where lights are frequently turned on and off. Also, LED lights produce a steady light which does not flicker.

Earlier versions of LED bulbs had the disadvantage of not being dimmable. Today, many LED bulbs are designed to work in dimmable switches which are provided in many lamps and home lighting fixtures. Just be sure to check the package to ensure the bulb you have selected is dimmable.

LED lights last a long time and unlike other light bulbs, they do not burn out, but rather dim over time.

d. LEDs won’t contribute to heat buildup in your home

This summer has been the hottest on record, and homeowners are increasingly interested in measures which can help reduce the amount of heat generated within the home. Electric lighting is one of the main culprits. Incandescent lights produce ideal illumination in terms of brightness and quality of light, but they also produce a considerable amount of heat.

A 100 watt incandescent bulb produces 100 watts of power. From an energy point of view, it puts out 100 Joules of energy per second. In a small closed room, 4 m (12ft) x 4 m(12ft) x 3 m(9ft) or 48 m³ with a single 100w bulb:

48 m³ x 1.2 kg/m³ = 58 kg of air
100J = 1000 J/kgC x ∆T x 58 kg
∆T = 0.0017 deg C, change in temp. per second

In one hour, the bulb would produce a 6 degree C rise. or 11 deg F. This assumes the room is closed to ventilation, so the temperature would be lower if the room were ventilated, or larger. But it serves to illustrate that the heat contribution from an incandescent bulb is significant.

LED bulbs, by contrast, remain cool. High power LEDs are designed with heat sinks, usually aluminum struts around the lower bulb, which keeps operating temperatures low. LED bulbs do not contribute to heat buildup in a room.

e. Insects are not attracted to UV-free LED bulbs

Many LED bulbs (but not all) do not give off ultraviolet light, which is known to attract flying insects. Check the package label for UV information if you are interested in this feature.

There are also specialty LED bulbs which have yellow lenses or bulbs, which are designed for outdoor use in carports, decks or on patios. These yellow bulbs will not attract the bugs and moths which seem to cluster around ordinary white bulbs. These bulbs produce adequate light for the intended area; they just don’t attract bugs.

f. Choose LED bulbs which are UL Listed, not UL Compliant

A light bulb package marked “UL Compliant” is no assurance that the LED bulb has been tested or approved by the Underwriters Laboratory. It only means that the manufacturer has followed recommended UL guidelines in production and technical aspects. A“UL Listed” LED bulb has passed stringent tests put forth by UL, and consumers are advised to look for the UL Listed mark.

In the race to garner a share of the emerging LED market, manufacturers may use the UL Compliant mark to help sell more light bulbs, but this is no guarantee of bulb quality. Consumers should be wary of new LED bulbs which are priced very low, are sourced from unknown suppliers, or have unrealistic product claims.

 

Led Lighting Methods Generating A Brilliant Future Of Light

No one truly knows how quick LEDs are destined to solar or how bright the future of lighting is estimated to be. 1 issue is for positive, although. The popular light bulb might be a issue of your previous, destined to be found only from the ancient museums of every single state. By the seems of your present scenario, the most recent generation of LED lighting techniques might be dazzling ample for making people today sit up and feel agape about the innumerable energy-saving lighting choices which can be produced on the market within their homes, offices and also other business complexes.

LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) are semi-conductor gadgets that convert electrical power immediately into light. They’re much more efficient than conventional light and although three times more highly-priced than their un-dignified counterparts, LEDs are bound to eliminate their highly-priced cost tag using the onset of new technologies. Incandescent or fluorescent lamps is usually purchased at a bargain but is highly-priced on the operational degree. Alternatively, LEDs are 4 times more efficient than fluorescent lighting and lasts 10 times longer too.

Just a couple of many years back, opportunities for LED lighting techniques did not appear an enticing selection for the housing segment, corporations, industries or municipal sectors, owing to the tremendous buying cost. The sad part is, not many realized the expense financial savings after a while positively outweighed the initial costs of these power saving measures.

Due to unprecedented investments in efficient lighting engineering, LED lights are now more inexpensive for homes and corporations As outlined by a recent industry research, the sale of regular light bulbs in numerous European nations dropped by 35 percent from the initially quarter of 2009, with LEDs accounting for 65 percent of your product sales.

Presently LED finds myriad uses in parking locations, street lights, website traffic lights highways, corporate offices, hotels, public buildings, restaurants, gallery, lounge, vehicles and signboards. When regarded as beneficial only for flashlights and laptop personal computers, LED lighting are now revered because the reigning kings and queens from the dwelling lighting arena too.

LEDs supply twice the efficiency of CFLs or Compact Fluorescent light bulbs and also the complete absence of toxic mercury, prolonged lifespan and more quickly turn-on times make LEDs more attractive than other lighting solutions. It’s been estimated from the Department of Energy that by 2025, LEDs possess the potential to reduce national power consumption for lighting by 29 percent, saving $125 billion about the electrical expenses of U.S. households.

Lately, even the vehicle market is generating a roll more than to LED lighting techniques, specifically for indicator lights about the dashboard and rear lights. Technological advancements in LED have come up with high-flux gadgets that make it possible for LEDs to be applied in innumerable lighting applications, specifically those that call for dynamic focusing.

The future of our planet belongs to power efficient lighting and LEDs will play a pivotal part in generating the planet brighter, greener and self-sufficient. It’s only a matter of time along with a small Analysis and Advancement, ahead of the limitations of LEDs are surpassed and people today from all cross-sections of your society deem it essential to adopt LED lighting techniques to light up their lifestyles.

 

Why LED Lights are future over traditional Fluorescent tube light ?

1. Energy-saving, the brightness of LED light is same as that of traditional fluorescent tube light; it can save more than 70% energy than fluorescent tube.

2. Long life time, it is more than 50,000 hours, no maintenance, and can save labour cost.

3. Environment friendly, LED light will no ultraviolet and infrared radiation, no mercury pollution and other poisonous materials (when the fluorescent tube break, it will release mercury which is harmful to human health). And less heat release; old fluorescent tube can be used again.

4. No flash, start fast, is the best light source to protect human eyes.

5. No noisy, because LED tube light don’t need ballast and starter.

6. Solid light source, easy to be shipped and prevent vibration; PC material is not easy to be broke and pressed.

7. Wide application, can be used in office building, factory, shopping mall, school, public area and home lighting and decoration.

8. No mosquito and other bugs (on the contrary, when fluorescent tube is working, it release out ultraviolet and attract mosquito come), but LED tube will not give out ultraviolet to attract mosquito, this ensure clear and comfortable environment.

9. Rich color, can make LED tube at different color to meet different requirements.

10. Broad usage, the shape and size of LED tube light is same as fluorescent tube, people can use LED tube to replace fluorescent tube directly.

 

Advantages Of LED Lights:

1. Working hours:

LED lights are built for the long life, so why not use it fullest? LED light should not be installed at very little usage area. It is your dead investment.

Some high usage areas are listed here for the reference: Shopping center, underground parking, streets, offices, hotels and restaurants, warehouse, tunnel, museum, wash rooms, homes with low natural light access and all the places where it is cloudy and low sunshine weather for most of the time.

2. Reliability:

LED lights with good driver can withstand vibration, unreliable power supply, voltage fluctuation, on/off cycles and where other bulb expires faster. LED light should be used in factories, industries and rural industries for such reasons.

There are also some application areas where it is difficult to reach for bulb replacement. Changing bulbs at Street light, high floor height, balcony and domes is costly than the original price of bulb.

At Some critical places like hospitals, shopping mall, restaurant, airport, plants, offices and public place, going dark for some hours is not affordable. They should use LED lights for reliability.

3. Directional light:

LED lights don’t throw lights in all 3 dimensions. They point the lights toward single plane. There are some advantage and disadvantage of this property. Street lights, highbay lights, downlights, flood lights are best uses of this property. They minimize the waste of reflectors and other directions.

4. Dimming:

Another good property of LED lights is dimming. You can adjust the amount of illumination as well as power bill. Consider a small shop where there is rush of customers during some peak hours. They can dim LED lights during Low rush hours to save lots of power. All LED lights are not dimmable, but it depends on driver. Customer should check their requirements and dimming ability before purchase to take full advantage.

5. Low power& high power:

LED can provide lowest illumination with minimum power usage as well as highest illumination too. LED is available for 0.5 watt to 500W applications. It is not possible for any other bulb types to make only 100 lumens light with 1-2 watt usage. CFL bulb starts with 5W and incandescent bulb at 15W.

6. Colors:

White LEDs are available in various color temperature, which is not possible in all the lightings. RGB color LED can produce millions of color for decorative requirements. You don’t need color filters to produce different colors. Just adjust your color with remote control.

7. Recycle:

And after all long service life when you wish to throw LED lights, they are still valuable. They have lots of aluminum in their body and heat sinks. If considering price of metal after 10 years, LED lights have better return on investment even after failure.

 

 

How healthy are LED lights?

LED technology comes with dozens of advantages like energy saving, long life, maintenance free and reliable. Let’s put those advantages on side, and measure led in terms of health. As the health is gaining biggest consideration in life style, people are also valuing each product in terms of health.

For Eyes:

If we talk about quality of lights, incandescent bulb wins, as the light it gives is near to natural sun lights. But it is not viable in current energy crisis. High pressure mercury, sodium bulb and metal halide bulbs are creating light pollution as their color rendering indexes are very low. It is not suitable for human eyes to see in such light source for long time. In this term CFL and LED both stands in equal position. Both sources are available in low to high CRI. Consumer should ask and know the CRI before purchasing LED bulb also.

Another point to consider is flickering. Most tube light and CFL creates flickering with AC frequency. It causes headache, eye strain and discomfort.

LED lights don’t flicker, as it runs on DC voltage. LED lights are also available in various color temperature according to requirements as well as comes with high CRI also.

For Breath:

CFL bulb contains small amount of mercury and heavy metal. It should be disposed with special care. Same problem is there with mercury vapor lamps, Sodium-vapor lamps, High intensity discharge (HID) lamps and Incandescent light bulbs. When they get broken, heavy metals spread in environment. Also their manufacturing involves dangerous polluting substances.

LED light sources are free from heavy metals. It also comes in ROHS standards.

Explosion& Injury:

All light sources other than LED, can explode in a few cases. Broken glass as well as explosion is injurious to health.

LED lights are free from explosion and injury chances

Long term:

If we consider energy saving, green house gas emission, resource usage and pollution, LED bulb provides green and healthy future for next generation.