If you've walked the aisle of lights in stores lately, you've seen a lot of LED bulbs. But you've probably also noticed that they cost a little more than the other options.
How do LED lights work, why do they cost more and are they worth the extra money? There are some interesting questions to answer, but if you're looking to save money in the long run, LED lights are clearly the way to go.
They work more efficiently than other lamps and have even more advantages due to their unique internal structure. We're going to break everything down here.
How it works?
LED stands for "Light Emitting Diode" and they are much more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs. LED lights work by sending an electrical current through a microchip. The microchip conducts electricity to the tiny LED bulbs and turns them on.
This happens when electrons in a semiconductor material emit pictures through electroluminescence. Electroluminescence is a scientific principle and phenomenon in which excited electrons release energy in the form of photons.
It's a lot of complicated scientific principles, but the end result is an extremely efficient and long-lasting process that can produce massive amounts of light. There is no filament in the LEDs as incandescent bulbs work.
By eliminating the filament, LEDs generate much less heat, which is a waste of energy. Instead, an LED can produce more light using less current!
What types of LED lights are there?
While all LED lights work on the same principles, there are many different ways that manufacturers can customize bulbs to create different effects. From light intensity to lamp shape, the options are many.
First, there are LEDs with variable intensities and color changing technologies. These lights are great as an air freshener or as a festive way to decorate another room. But for incandescent lamps without the possibility of changing the color intensity or colors, there are LED lamps with different color temperatures. This can help create a more inviting atmosphere in living spaces or a brighter, more productive office space.
Finally, there is a big difference in the size and shape of different LED bulbs. There are small LEDs that fit in a light strip and there are LEDs in traditional glass bulbs. These bulbs work for different environments, and despite their different shapes and sizes, they work in the same way.
Still, traditional bulb styles will fit in regular light bulbs, while traditional LED strips and fairy lights will usually fit in 120-volt outlets. But due to the energy efficiency of LED bulbs, you can even find LED lights that plug into 12-volt outlets in cars that produce a lot of light.
Where is it used?
Due to the efficiency and versatility of LED bulbs, they can be found almost everywhere. Today they are common in cars and homes and are quickly replacing typical incandescent and halogen light bulbs.
In fact, on August 1, 2023, the United States will completely phase out many non-energy incandescent and halogen light bulbs. The United States will not fully switch to LED bulbs, but it will likely represent a large share of the market.
These days, LED bulbs can do everything that halogen and incandescent bulbs can, and because they're much more efficient and last longer, they're a great choice for your home, car, and office. If you're looking for a new light and you see an LED, this is probably the best long-term deal.
Advantages of LED lights
LED lights have some advantages compared to other options. First, LED lights don't generate as much heat. This makes them safer than other bulbs. They also last a lot longer. With the average incandescent and halogen bulbs lasting no more than 2,000 hours, the fact that an LED lasts up to 50,000 hours is a big problem.
Outro benefício é que os LEDs custam muito menos em comparação com as lâmpadas incandescentes e halógenas. Isso ocorre porque as luzes LED são mais eficientes e não precisam gastar tanta energia quando você as acende. Isso pode não parecer um grande problema, mas faz uma grande diferença.
Traditional light bulbs typically require five times as much energy to run, meaning you spend five times as much to get the electricity you need.
Disadvantages of LED lights
While LED bulbs have many advantages, one of the main disadvantages is the initial cost. LED bulbs cost more to manufacture than other types of bulbs, which increases the initial selling price.
However, due to the lower cost of ownership of LED bulbs and their longer lifespan, they still have a lower lifetime cost than other bulb options. But there's no denying that you'll spend a little more at the store when changing them!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
LED lights work very differently than other light sources, so some questions are normal. We get it, which is why we decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions here.
Can you leave the LED lights on all night?
Yes! Unlike other types of lights that generate a lot of heat, LED lights do not generate heat. This makes them perfectly safe to run day or night, any day of the week, all year round!
Do LED lights attract bugs?
LED lights do not emit UV light or heat, which means few insects see them. Turning off LED lights on a porch or patio will cause far fewer errors than with other bulbs.
Can you turn off LED lights in winter?
Yes! LED lamps easily cope with different temperature fluctuations. They also don't generate a lot of heat, so you don't have to worry about them causing problems in colder climates like other types of bulbs.
How do LED lights wear out?
during anormal lampit will just suddenly stop working so the led bulbs don't wear out. LED bulbs wear out and degrade over time, so you might want to replace them before they officially stop working.
How much does it cost to light an LED lamp for 1 hour?
This question boils down to how many watts it takes to turn on the light bulb and how much you are paying per watt. For example, if you pay $0.10 per kWh for a 10-watt LED light bulb, you are paying $0.01 per hour to operate it. But for a 60-watt bulb, you're paying $0.06 an hour!
In general, you can expect to spend 1/5 of what it would cost to operate an energy-inefficient bulb that produces a comparable amount of light.
A quick start guide
Advantages of LED lights
- Long time
- more energy efficient
- low heat generation
- Better resistance to different temperatures.
Disadvantages of LED lights
- Higher acquisition costs
- Higher replacement costs
Conclusion
LED lights provide amany benefitsabout other types of lamps, and when you choose other lamps for your car, home or office, do you really wantConsidere LEDs.
There's a reason they're becoming more popular, and the starting price of LEDs is constantly dropping to make them a more affordable entry-level option. If you plan on using the incandescent bulb for a while, an LED has many advantages and is probably the right one!
Selected image credit: JumpStory
contents
- 1 How does it work?
- 2 What types of LED lights are there?
- 3 Where is it used?
- 4 advantages of LED lights
- 5 disadvantages of LED lights
- 6 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- 6.1 Can the LED lights stay on all night?
- 6.2 Do LED lamps attract insects?
- 6.3 Can LED lighting remain off in winter?
- 6.4 How do LED lights wear out?
- 6.5 How much does it cost to keep an LED lamp on for 1 hour?
- 7 A quick start guide
- 8 Conclusion
FAQs
How does a LED lights work? ›
How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light. To prevent performance issues, the heat LEDs produce is absorbed into a heat sink.
How does LED work in simple words? ›A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device, which can emit light when an electric current passes through it. To do this, holes from p-type semiconductors recombine with electrons from n-type semiconductors to produce light.
What is interesting about LED lights? ›LED stands for light emitting diodes, which LED bulbs use to produce light. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the widespread installation of LED's can save 348 TWH of energy by the year 2027-that's enough energy to power 44 large electric power plants, saving more than $30 billion dollars.
How do LED lights work without a bulb? ›An LED is what's called a "solid-state lighting" technology, or SSL. Basically, instead of emitting light from a vacuum (as in an incandescent bulb) or a gas (as in a CFL), an SSL emits light from a piece of solid matter.
How do smart LED lights work? ›Smart lights are Wi-Fi-enabled devices that connect to the internet using wireless networks. Certain smart light bulbs require a dedicated smart hub to connect with wirelessly, with the hub then plugging into an internet router. The hub also acts as a gateway between the smart light and your phone or tablet.
How do you explain LED to kids? ›A LED lights up by using a small semiconductor crystal. When the crystal is energized with electrical current, the semiconductor emits light. The LED semiconductor has n-type (negative) and p-type (positive) material. These two materials give the LED the ability to light up.
How do LED lights change color? ›The different materials in today's semiconductors are used to create controlled energy levels. From there, colored diodes reflect the elements used for each product. Color-changing LEDs contain three separate diodes within the same bulb, and each of these diodes emits its designated color - red, green, or blue.
What is LED one word answer? ›The full form of LED is Light Emitting Diode.
What are 4 interesting facts about LEDs? ›- LEDs are the most efficient type of lightbulb. ...
- According to ENERGY STAR® , the typical LED lifespan is at least 35,000 hours. ...
- Watts don't tell you much about an LED's brightness – lumens do. ...
- LEDs have a variety of color temperatures.
For starters, LED bulbs last much, much longer than incandescent bulbs, and they put out the same amount of light using significantly less energy . That's great for the environment, and it can save you money on your electricity bill in the long term, especially if you're upgrading a whole home's worth of bulbs.
What is the biggest advantage of LED lights? ›
Energy efficiency
Because of their high lumen output per watt, LEDs are capable of turning about 70% of their energy into light. This makes them much more efficient than other bulbs, which waste a lot of energy by turning it into heat.
What are the cons of LED lighting? Higher initial cost: LED bulbs are generally more expensive to buy and replace than traditional incandescent bulbs, and the fittings required to install them are also often more costly to manufacture. This cost is, however, largely offset by the long term benefits mentioned above.
What are the positives and negatives of LED lights? ›- Pro: Long Lifespan. An LED light bulb has the longest lifespan of all the bulb options. ...
- Con: An Upfront Investment Is Required. ...
- Pro: Energy-Efficient. ...
- Con: Not Great for Dimmers. ...
- Pro: Produce Less Heat. ...
- Con: They Can Fail Under Heat. ...
- Pro: Environmentally Friendly. ...
- Con: Directional.
The average lifespan of an LED is often rated up to 50,000 hours. This is about 50 times longer than a typical incandescent, 20-25 times longer than a typical halogen and 8-10 times longer than a typical CFL. If used 12 hours a day, an LED rated at 50,000 hours will last more than 11 years.
Do LED lights still work when cut? ›A: Some light strips can be cut to a specific length and continue to work. However, they must be cut according to the cut mark. There are some tiny and precise parts on LED light strips. If you accidentally cut the wrong place, you may cause the light to stop working normally.
What are the 3 types of LED light bulbs? ›LED bulbs come in four primary categories: A-shape, reflectors, decorative, and specialty. A-shape LEDs are the most common type and are frequently used throughout the home.
How do you control smart LED lights? ›If you have smart light bulbs from a smorgasbord of brands, you can control them all using sensors paired to a smart-home hub or speaker such as the Amazon Echo, the Apple HomePod Mini, or a Samsung SmartThings hub.
How do LED lights save energy? ›Unlike traditional bulbs, LEDs only emit light in a 180 degree in front of them. This means that there is no wasted light, which ultimately means less wasted energy and more savings.
What is LED short question answer? ›LED Question 7 Detailed Solution
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. LED (light-emitting diode): The LED (light-emitting diode) is a PN junction device that emits light when a current pass through it in the forward direction, i.e. when LED is forward biased, it emits light.
Yes, new technology LED lighting can and will get hot, but when compared to the lighting of the past, temperatures are much safer. The heat from the lighting will also warm your surrounding environment but in comparison to old incandescent lighting, this ambient heat is greatly reduced when using LED lighting.
What does blue LED lights mean? ›
Blue LED Light can be defined as light given off from light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”) in the visible light spectrum between the wavelengths of 400 to 500 nanometers (nm).
Why do LED lights stay one color? ›If your LED strips are stuck on one color when you change colors, it's probably because you have been pressing the same color button, which reaches peak value. Try using the reverse button to adjust it higher or lower. If still to no avail, check the contact of your pins and reconnect.
Why do three of my LED lights a different color? ›They can get splashes of paint (or more!) on the installed LED strips, and this causes the LED light to appear a different colour, or even look to like they are not working at all! The big giveaway is if there are multiple sections that appear to be a different colour, or more dim than the rest of the strip.
Is LED spelled LED or lead? ›Led is the correct way to spell the past tense of lead. Lead is a common misspelling of the past tense of the verb lead.
What are LED lights made of? ›LEDs are comprised of compound semiconductor materials, which are made up of elements from group III and group V of the periodic table (these are known as III-V materials). Examples of III-V materials commonly used to make LEDs are gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium phosphide (GaP).
When did LED lights become popular? ›2008- LED lights start to become popular in schools, offices and hospitals. 2019- LED lights are the main source of lighting, halogen and fluorescent bulbs are being phased out.
Do LED lights need electricity to work? ›LED lights also use very little electricity in comparison to traditional incandescent bulbs. The Washington Post investigated LED lights as compared to incandescent lights. Their researchers found that a string of 25 incandescent bulbs used 175 watts of electricity, amounting to $15.12 over the Christmas season.
Do LED lights need electricity? ›Installed as your light source, LED strip lights guzzle less electricity to produce the same light output. The potential savings are very significant – LEDs draw up to 85% less electricity than conventional incandescent lighting, and around 18% less electricity than CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps).
How do LED strip lights get power? ›Most LED strips are configured to operate at 12V or 24V DC. When running off of a standard mains supply power source (e.g. household wall outlet) at 120/240V AC, the power needs to be converted to the appropriate low voltage DC signal. This is most frequently and simply accomplished using a DC power supply.
How do LEDs get so bright? ›Why are LED lights so bright? LED lights are bright because they have a higher lumen rating compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. Lumens are simply a measure of the total amount of visible light from a light source, so the higher the lumen rating the brighter the lamp will appear to the human eye.
Do LED lights add to electric bill? ›
Does energy savings on the electric bill support switching to LEDs? Yes! LED lights consume 80-90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last up to 100,000 hours, versus 3,000 hours for an incandescent. Combine this with the durable construction of LEDs, and savings extend beyond electricity.
Do LEDs lower your electric bill? ›LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Do LED lights attract bugs? ›Because most LED lights don't emit UV light or generate a lot of heat, they tend attract very few insects. Insects are attracted to light. However, LED light gives off less heat, and also emits the wrong colours of the visible light spectrum, resulting in less insects being attracted to them.
Do LED lights attract spiders? ›Do spiders like LED lights? The relationship between spiders and LED lights is simple: spiders like to eat bugs and insects. So, if your LED light is of a spectrum that attracts things spiders like to eat, you're going to attract spiders with it.
What is the disadvantage of LED light? ›One disadvantage of LEDs is the high initial cost per bulb. Over time, however, LED lights will pay for themselves through energy savings and incredibly long lifespans. Bulbs from various manufacturers may appear noticeably different in terms of their white light hues, so choose a well-known brand.
Is it cheaper to leave LED lights on or turn them off? ›LED, or light emitting diode, bulbs are not affected at all by being turned on and off. This characteristic makes LED bulbs a top energy savings lighting choice.