How Do They Work?
The explanation of the glow of a LED is right there in the title—LED stands for light emitting diodes. These are semiconductors that electrons pass through. When this happens, light is created. These kinds of light bulbs are more efficient at turning energy into light, and thus, are cooler in temperature than your incandescent light bulb. However, for their size, they do let off a lot of heat. Therefore, in order to prevent damage to the semi-conductors, this heat is trapped in a heat sink plate (which have become part of the design and can be bulky). The downside of this is that the light bulb will then heat up and the air around it will be warmed as well. This also shortens the life of the bulb.
Why Should I Switch To LED Light Bulbs?
In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) requires that light bulbs be 25% more efficient. The only problem with this is that incandescent bulb can’t use much less energy than that. Thus, new products were created—compact fluorescents (CFLs), halogens, and LEDs. Out of these options, LEDs are the best option. This is because most people find fluorescent’s glow very harsh and because halogens barely make the cutoff of being 25% more efficient than traditional incandescents. Also, the average efficacy of an LED bulb is 78 lm/w (lumens per watt) versus incandescents being 13 lm/w and halogens at 18 lm/w. Also, they aren’t super expensive as they were before. The prices have been driven down to under $10, and even half of that in some places. They also use 1/6 of the energy and last 25x longer than a traditional light bulb. In addition, according to one source, they could save you $130 in the bulb’s lifetime and could cut $150 off your electric bill.
What If I Like My Lighting to Have a Warm Glow?
The “warmth” of a light bulb is measured by what is called color temperature. The higher the number, the “harsher” the color. For example, CFLs or fluorescents are around 4500K (Kelvins), while a candle is at about 1500K. A standard light bulb is around 2700K. There are LED light bulbs out there marketed as replacements for incandescent light bulbs that are at this level. Another thing to consider is the color rendering index (CRI). This measures the accuracy of the light bulb to portray things as realistically as possible. Traditional light bulbs had a CRI of 100, while most CFLs and LEDs are in the 80s. However, some LEDs are in the 90s and will continue to get better.
How Well Do They Work and How Long Do They Last?
LEDs work pretty well, but you should pay attention to the packaging to be sure it’s what you’re expecting it to be. We talked about this previously (color rendering index, Kelvins, etc.) but one more thing you should watch for is whether they’re omni-directional. This means they’ll shine in all directions. Light emitting diodes tend to shine only one way—up (such as a lamp with a bulb in it will only light up the ceiling and maybe to minimal other parts of the room). To avoid this, there have been reflective plates placed in the bulbs to bounce the light in different directions to light up the entire space. It’s important to check that you’re buying a light bulb like this if you want it to be like your traditional incandescents.
A perk of having LED light bulbs is how long they last. Instead of completely burning out, they grow dimmer. The point at which they do this depends on the bulb. Some are expected to last 25,000 hours (or 3 years, depending on how much you use it per day) and others are said to last 50,000. Keep in mind that these numbers tell when the manufacturer expects you to notice the light getting dimmer. However, this is relatively new technology so we haven’t had much time to test it out and see if they really will last 25,000, or especially 50,000, hours.
Okay, What Are the Cool Perks of Having Them?
If you have switches that make your lights dim, good news! Most LEDs will work with newer switches. The best ones dim to about 5%, but may start buzzing at that level. Just be sure to check the packaging to be sure it’s compatible with your switch.
Another cool feature is that some can be connected to Wi-Fi. When this is done, you can put them in an IFTTT (if this, then that) type recipe where they’ll automatically change to display (in light) the time of day, holidays, the weather, or even the colors of the sports team that’s winning.