LED Lights Viable Option for Your Home

     
LED (light-emitting diode) lights are becoming a viable option for home lighting. Over recent years, LED lights for home use had hurdles to overcome – that bright blue offensive color, non-standard bases, hassel of retrofits and Expense. In the past we mostly used LEDs in christmas lights, flashlights and as indicators lights.  Now, we are on the cusp of new developments that can be game changers for the light-emitting diode.

Today, we have the CR6 as the latest in a line of energy efficient LED lights made by CREE. This light addresses some of the issues of the earlier lights, allowing dimming down to 5% and having a compact, light-weight package at about half the cost of earlier models. It draws only 10.5 Watts yet produces as much light as a 65W incandescent bulb. Source - Ted's Tips

Another option is the Pharox 300 dimmable LED bulb. This is a standard Edison bulb, so you can use it in just about any fixture. The light is bright white and it stays that way as it dims. The Pharox is surprisingly bright for a bulb that only uses 6 watts. Source - Ted's Tips

LEDs are also becoming standards in many home kitchen applications.

Why Should I Change?


Incandescent light bulbs produce 15 lumens for each watt of power they consume; by comparison some LEDs are are approaching 150 lumens for each watt. This means that a 65 watt light bulb produces 975 lumens. To generate the same amount of light the LED requires just 6.5 watts. That saves energy, which saves you money.

Longer life – exactly how long?  LED life estimates range from, 25,000, 50,000 and there are even claims of 100,000 hours. Compared to 1,000 hours for tungsten bulbs it is safe to say that LEDs last years longer.


Durable – no moving parts, no glass to break

Energy efficiency – up to 90% less energy

Non-toxicity – no mercury

Versatility – colors, small size and durability allow for a wide range of applications

Cool – generate less heat, which means less air conditioning->less energy->saves money

TIPs for using LED lights in the home

Remember that the light output of LEDs is somewhat directional. Check the LEDs light pattern to make sure it is suitable for your application.

Check to see if the LED is dimmable and if so, determine compatible dimmer switches for that particular LED.

Look for LEDs that are advertised as a warm light or have Kelvin scale, K, of 2700K-3500K. The 2700k is similar to an incandescent bulb and 3500 is similar to a fluorescent bulb.  Warmer colors promote relaxation while brighter colors can enhance concentration; so, this is something to consider when choosing your lighting.  You probably don't want a bright colored light in an area where you want to relax.
Determine the base and whether your fixture will accept that particular base.

History of the light bulb

The development of the light bulb began around 1809 and in 1880 Edison created a light bulb that could shine for 1,200 hours; sounds like today’s standard Edison light bulb. The history of LED lights starts in 1907, but it wasn’t until the 1960s until LED research intensified. Fifty years later LEDs appear to be light source of the future as the incandescent bulb dims into history.

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