What is an Light emitting diode?

LED is the common abbreviation for a light-emitting diode. Each individual Light emitting diode consists of a semiconductor diode that emits light when a voltage is applied to it . Light emitting diode lights have been around since the 1960′s where they have been used as on/off and other indicator lights in electronic equipment. In more recent years, LED technology has progressed to the point where it is viable for general lighting applications . 

What are the advantages to using LED lights?

LEDs has several advantages – high efficiency and durability, much longer lifespans, reduced maintenance . These advantages makes Light emitting diode lights a much easier and cheaper option to run over the course of its lifespan. 

What’s the difference between performance and efficacy? 

Efficacy is a term normally used in cases where the input and output units differ. In illumination, we are concerned with the amount of light (in lumens) produced by a certain amount of electricity (in watts).  
On the other hand, efficiency is a term that is typically dimensionless. For example, illumination fixture performance is the ratio of the total lumens exiting the fixture to the total lumens initially produced by the light source. 

Do I have to replace Light emitting diode diodes?

An Light emitting diode does not burn out like a average lamp, so individual diodes do not need to be replaced . Light emitting diode lights produce less light as they age, LED lights will lose around 30% of their output over 50,000 hours. If one LED fails, it does not require a complete fixture outage. 

Why is the lifespan of an Light emitting diode measured as lumen depreciation?

The lifetime of an Light emitting diode is vastly longer than that of incandescent, fluorescent or HID lamp sources, generally lasting 50,000 hours or longer. Although the Light emitting diode never really burns out, product lifespan is measured by lumen depreciation. 

How efficient are led bulbs compared to incandescent bulbs?

Light emitting diode lights use 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, also incandescents only last around 1000 hours whereas LED lights should easily last around 50,000 hours. The newest generation of LED’s are eight to ten times as efficient as incandescent bulbs. 

What happens when the bulb burns out?

LED’s do not burn out like typical light fixtures – they gradually degrade over time. Quality Light emitting diode Lights should retain approximately 70% of their output for their first 50,000 Hours of operation.

What is the difference between Cool White and Warm White?

Warm White is a similar light output to that of a incandescent light bulb. Cool White is more like the color of white that is produced by fluorescent lights. It is 25% brighter than Warm White and is better for applications that require increased illumination or more energy efficient projects .

What about the High Cost?

The primary limitation is the current high cost of LED light bulbs. Even though the cost of Light emitting diode lights  is steadily decreasing, startup cost may seem daunting, but LED light bulbs pay for themselves over time since they can last for up to 11 years, and saves a lot of money in terms of electrical power used. 

For businesses, using LED lights makes a whole lot of sense since the reduced upkeep costs more than make up for the steep start-up costs.

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