Save with LED home lighting

Today, LED lighting takes precedence over classic energy-saving light bulbs, as well as incandescent light bulbs, but there are still a number of doubts that have arisen from their objective differences compared to old light bulbs.

About LED lighting

The abbreviation LED stands for "light emitting diode", which is a semiconductor element that transmits current in only one direction and illuminates with electricity. LEDs convert most of the energy into light and therefore consume significantly less energy for lighting.

With classic incandescent bulbs, energy is converted into heat, and the incandescent bulb emits light and therefore they consume as much as 80% more energy than LED lighting. LED technology was very quickly recognized as a real revolution in the field of lighting and that is why it has become the standard today.(LED Light Bulbs 60W Equivalent) 

It is also used in the car industry.

Due to a number of advantages over previous forms of lighting, LED lighting has taken over the market in a short time. The first and main advantage is a significantly longer service life. The expected lifespan of LED technology is more than 50,000 hours, but that lifespan is actually slightly shorter. In ideal conditions, the LED can last that long, but the lifespan is also affected by the quality of the bulb itself, the power supply, the temperature in which it is located, humidity or various mechanical influences. In addition to a longer lifespan, the LED also consumes significantly less electricity.

Due to the longer service life and lower energy consumption, LED lighting is an extremely good way to save.

Figure 1- LED bulb  (LED , 10-Watt(60-Watt Equivalent))

There are a few more advantages that indicate that LED lighting is really the best choice. In case a different color of lighting is needed, LED lighting fixtures come in a large number of types and styles. They can illuminate a space in countless ways and in countless colors, and some will make just that to buy. During the summer days, the advantage is that LEDs do not produce heat like ordinary light bulbs.

Classic incandescent bulbs can burn out in the event of switching on and off, while the LED is not affected by switching on and off, and they reach the maximum light intensity almost immediately. Finally, it should be noted that LED lights are very useful in many other things, apart from the LED lighting itself. (Sunco Lighting 4 Pack LED Utility Shop Light, 4 FT, Linkable Integrated Fixture, 40W=260W)

They can be made in very small dimensions and that is why you will find them in mobile phones, on many control panels and in various other places.

How to choose an LED bulb equivalent to the existing classic lighting?

It is most practical to compare the brightness over the luminous flux of a light bulb expressed in lumens. It can be roughly said that the living room needs lighting of 100 lumens per square meter. In other words, if the room has 20 square meters, it is necessary to provide lighting of at least 2000 lumens. If, for example, you have bulbs of 600 lumens, in order to get enough light, it is necessary to have four (a total of 2400 lumens) in the room, because this is the first higher value than the minimum 2000 lumens.

Below is a table showing the lumen values for incandescent, fluorescent and LED bulbs depending on their power, which facilitates the selection of the appropriate LED bulb (the values in the table are approximate and may vary minimally depending on the manufacturer).

Luminous flux (lumen)	LED (Watt)	Fluorescent (Watt)	Incandescent bulb (Watt)
450	4-5	8-12	40
300-900	6-8	13-18	60
1100-1300	9-13	18-22	75-100
1600-1800	16-20	23-30	100
2600-2800	25-28	30-55	150

 

When buying LED bulbs, in addition to the brightness, the temperature of the colors they emit is also very important. The semiconductor elements in LED bulbs are coated with a phosphor layer, which glows, and its thickness actually defines the temperature color of the light. The thicker the phosphor layer, the warmer (yellower) the white tone has, but more energy is used to excite it. On the other hand, a thinner phosphor layer gives a cooler white color, but less energy is used to excite it. In other words, cool white LED bulbs are more energy efficient than warm white LED bulbs.

However, cold white LED light contains a greater amount of visible blue light, which under certain conditions can be harmful to the retina of the eye. This primarily refers to blue light with smaller wavelengths, which are close to the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. However, it should be emphasized that this part of the spectrum is already present in halogen and fluorescent lighting, but also in natural daylight, so the cool white LED light does not represent a new burden for the eyes. In practice, this specifically means that when buying LED bulbs, it is necessary to pay attention to the amount of kelvins (K), ie a measure that indicates the temperature of the light color.

As with all other products, the lifespan of LED bulbs varies. It depends on the method of use, but also on the quality of the bulbs themselves. Therefore, when buying, you should not pay attention only to the price. It may be more cost-effective to buy a slightly more expensive LED bulb, as it can have twice the lifespan. With LED bulbs, it is interesting that they usually do not burn out the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) but the electronics, so sometimes we can repair them ourselves or take them to a service center to have them repaired by a master.

How much can you save by switching to LED lighting?

Below is a table from which, by comparing the relevant parameters of an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp and an LED bulb, an assessment can be made of the cost-effectiveness of switching from conventional to LED interior lighting.

Type of light bulb	LED	Fluorescent	Incandescent bulb
Estimated shelf life (hours)	50 000	10 000	1200
Watt per bulb (60W equivalent)	10	14	60
kWh of electricity consumed in 50,000 hours	500	700	3000
Electricity cost (about 0.12 EURO per KWh)	60	84	360
Bulb required for a service life of 50,000 hours	1	5	42
The cost of buying a light bulb for 50,000 operating hours (EURO)	3	16	21
TOTAL COST FOR 50,000 HOURS (EURO)	63	100	381

 

An example is an ordinary incandescent lamp with a power of 60 W, which today costs about 0.5 € and lasts about 1200 hours. A 8 W LED bulb, which has about 850 lumens and is the equivalent of the aforementioned ordinary bulb, costs about € 3 and lasts up to 50,000 hours. This is the period for which 42 incandescent bulbs will change (which costs around € 21). From this it can be seen that it is more profitable to use LED bulbs without any other indicators.

 

And if we take into account that LED bulbs are much more energy efficient, it is calculated that those on an annual basis in the average home, if we replace all the bulbs with them, can save a few tens of euros when buying bulbs, as well as an additional 100 to 150 euros on electricity bills. The savings are, of course, higher if it is a larger area, which means that the business space, which consists of several offices, can save hundreds of euros annually in this way.

 

Conclusion

 

Whether it is outdoor or indoor lighting, LED technology has brought a truly significant shift in environmentally friendly and energy-saving lighting. Long life and low power consumption make LEDs a very popular alternative to lighting, while their relatively high brightness in terms of size makes them great for experimenting with home lighting. Therefore, whether you need a reflector inside or outside the home, smart lights are definitely LED lamps, which promise long life, excellent lighting and minimal energy loss, which will eventually prove to be a good investment in reducing electricity bills.

 

LED bulbs are so far the healthiest way of lighting, both for people and for the environment. Ordinary incandescent bulbs sometimes fired, so the glass could hurt someone. The so-called energy-saving light bulbs that preceded LED lighting contain mercury, which is dangerous to the environment. LED bulbs do not contain harmful materials and heat up much less, so there is no danger of cracking. In other words, they are in no way harmful to health. Also, LED bulbs meet the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) standard, which means that they contain less toxic substances than bulbs without this label. According to this standard, the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and other harmful elements is prohibited.