LED Lights – Top 5 Facts to Know

We have put together on this page what you need to remember during the individual steps for anyone who would like thorough assistance with the transition to LED and more context information, from the preliminary considerations you have to make at home to shopping in stores and the correct disposal of used lamps.

• Financial comparison: LEDs use up to 90 percent less electricity than incandescent lamps and over 70 percent less electricity than halogen lamps lepro.com LED lamps are the more powerful option compared to energy-saving lamps (also known as compact fluorescent lamps): energy-saving lamps only achieve about 50 percent of a good LED’s light production. The particular payback period depends not only on the particular purchase price and the respective model but also on how long each day the accompanying lamp burns: the more you use it or the longer it burns, the more financially the substitution pays off.
• Ecological comparison: The comprehensive ecological equilibrium is also better for LED lamps than halogen lamps or compact fluorescent lamps, according to the assessment, while LED lamps are more complex to make. This is due to their lower power use, which forms the key part of the ecological balance, during use. Significant amounts of climate-damaging pollution and hazardous waste are produced by electricity production.

How to Identify LED Bulbs in Your Fixtures

Basically, in your household, you can find the following types of lamps: traditional incandescent lamps, fluorescent tubes, halogen, and compact fluorescent lamps, which are often referred to as energy-saving lamps, and maybe even LEDs.

• Classic incandescent lamp (“bulb”): This can be recognized very easily: it is pear-shaped or candle-shaped and has a metal screwing base and a tungsten wire glass at the top that is responsible for light generation. Stairwell lighting or lampshades and ceiling lights in living rooms are classic applications, for example.
• “Halogen lamps: they usually have a spot-like design on the other hand and are therefore often linked to “designer lamps. They are also, however, available in a traditional pear form in which a shielding gas, a halogen, surrounds the filament. A distinction between high-voltage and low-voltage is made for halogen lamps:
• High-voltage halogen lamps: use the standard household mains voltage that can be found. (approx. 230 V) and usually with the following types of sockets: E27, E14, GU10, G9.
• Halogen low-voltage lamps: Their voltage is normally 12 V and is thus so low that it is easy to contact all components without any problems. A transformer (‘transformer’) or switched-mode power supply is normally needed to be able to decrease the house voltage to this low voltage. By their base forms, you can also distinguish low-voltage halogen lamps: GU5.3 or GU4 / G4.
• Fluorescent lamps/tubes (colloquially “neon tubes”): tubular, as the name implies, and older versions need to be turned on for a few seconds before they change from flickering to glowing. The fluorescent lamps’ tube diameter is uniform. There is a diameter after the letter “T.” A T5 tube, for instance, has a diameter of about 5⁄8 inches or 16 mm. CAUTION: Fluorescent lamps produce radioactive mercury, as do their more lightweight successors, the energy-saving lamps.
• Compact fluorescent lamp (‘energy-saving lamp’): by the tube in which the gas discharge takes place, you will identify it. This is normally several times twisted, coiled, or folded to save space, hence the “compact” prefix.
• LED lamp: This is a lamp using light-emitting diodes (LED) as sources of light. LED lamps, which, in terms of mechanical dimensions and brightness, are based on traditional incandescent and fluorescent lamps, are also called LED retrofit lamps. Without any further modifications, an LED retrofit lamp may replace existing lamps directly. You can read some well-researched reviews from sites like LedLightIdeas.com for more specifics about how to find the best quality LED lighting items for you.

Check out this Video on LED Light Strips

What Size LED Bulb Do I Need

Take a close look at your luminaire and the lamp mounted therein and, if possible, answer the following questions:

What measurements will the LED lamp have to fit into the luminaire as well?

In general, it is possible to quickly substitute a lamp in the classic pear or candle form with an LED lamp in the same shape. For compact fluorescent bulbs, the same goes. The precise measurements of the LED lamp should still be paid attention to. LED lamps can be slightly larger than traditional light bulbs due to their built-in circuitry. The details on this can be found in the sales packaging. In particular, with halogen spots, you can ensure that the duration of the LED alternative also fits into the luminaire.

• Replacement of an incandescent lamp: on the LED lamp packaging, a comparative value “corresponds to an incandescent lamp with XX watts” is given, which allows you to choose the correct lamp, the appropriate lumen value, then you can choose the correct LED.
• Replacement of halogen or energy-saving lamps: “Halogen or energy-saving LED lamps” conversion tables are available in most hardware stores and specialist shops. You may use the watt information to find the corresponding lumen value for your new LED based on this.

Are LED Bulbs Filled with Toxic Mercury Like CF Bulbs

No, the LED lights are free from mercury. For the processing of LEDs, however, the following other raw materials are used: arsenic, europium, yttrium, indium, and gallium. And, at least for the last two metals, supply depletion is predictable. Europium and yttrium both belong to the rare earth group, of which only a few deposits are found worldwide. LEDs should, therefore, be as durable as possible and properly disposed of or recycled after their service life to preserve these resources. Improper disposal of LEDs because of their arsenic content may also contribute to arsenic contamination in the environment.

Our Take

Lights that are sufficient for effective light sources are recommended: LED or energy-saving lamps, fluorescent tubes. This is the case if energy efficiency lamps with energy efficiency classes A++, A+, or A are labeled on the EU energy label of the lamp. Ideally, a lamp like this is already built-in when you purchase it. Often, make sure that no standby is consumed by the sun.