What you need to know about LED lighting!
LEDs (light Emitting Diodes) have been around for many years but are fairly new to be used for lighting a room. LEDs are solid-state semiconductor devices which use a small amount of electricity to convert electrical energy into light energy.
LEDs consume very little energy as they are essentially an extremely small microchip and then encapsulated in epoxy resin. This means they are not susceptible to vibration as the older incandescent filament lights are and thus can be used in a wide range of applications. Another feature of LEDs is there long life which is up to 100,000 hours for some colours and while super white (about 1000 hours life) is the main colour for lighting a room. LEDs come in a range of colours and are often used for lighting effects. They are the most energy efficient lighting available.
LEDs Types
There are many different types of LED replacement lights available in many shapes and sizes.
- Replacement lights the long fluorescent lights.
- LED down lights
- LED lamps
- Standard replacements for incandescent
- Super bright LED clusters
- Colour light strips
- Outdoor garden lights
How do I run a LED?
LEDs cannot just be plugged into a 240 or 120 volts like an incandescent light bulb. The most efficient method to run an LED is to use a small switch mode power driver. These can be built in to the replacement bulb or supplied to with the globe to be placed in the ceiling space.
Cost
The cost LED lights are much higher than incandescent lights, with incandescent lights costing under a $1. However LED lights can be up to $50 for one cluster but range between $10 to $50, to replace an incandescent globe and other traditional lights. It is true that the price is dropping all the time and will be much lower within a short space of time. LEDs do however consume much less power and are an excellent option when a light is switched on for extended periods of time.
