LEDs: The Future of Lighting

OSRAM, one of the light bulb brands LampShopOnline stock, completed their own trial into how much money an average family could save by replacing their traditional lights with LED lights. In their trial, they revealed that over a year, the household saved between £215.81 and £343.37 on their energy bill, depending on how many light bulbs they had. One of the participants said, 'We were amazed to find that they light up instantly, the quality of the light is excellent and the cost savings are significant. We will certainly stick with LEDs from now on.'

In early 2014 the Financial Times reported that the UK now uses nearly a third less electricity to light homes than in 1997 and that this was thought to be down to more homes installing LED bulbs. The report stated, 'The Energy Saving Trust says the UK could save as much as £1.4bn on electricity bills every year if households phased out their remaining filament bulbs. Those savings could be even greater if people switch to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, which have long been used in car brake lights and the infrared beams of television remote controls but are now so powerful they can light a whole room.'

LED lights from Lamp Shop Online

LED lighting is the fastest selling form of lighting currently on the market due to the following benefits:

• 61 % energy saving compared to a 6ft 70w standard fluorescent tube
• 30,000 hour life span (10 years average)
• Direct retrofit for 2ft-6ft tubes, no lamp gear is required as tubes are wired straight to mains
• 2 Year guarantee with all LED lighting
• 100% use of lumen output (no wastage)
• All our LED lighting is CE marked and ROHS compliant
• Choice of colours 4000k (Cool white) or 6500k (Day light)

LED lighting is rapidly becoming the number one lighting solution, this has seen global companies such as McDonalds use LED lighting in all there stores due to the energy and cost saving implications.

For instance replacing a standard 70w fluorescent tube with a 30w LED Tube working 60 hours per week, 50 weeks per year at an average electricity cost of 0.19p kw/hr saves you a staggering £22.90 per year.

If you need any further information on LED or any other form of lighting then please call a member of our dedicated sale team on 0113 8876270 or send an email to sales@lampshoponline.com

FAQs

How do LEDs work?

A light emitting diode (LED) is a two lead semiconductor light source. It is a p-n junction diode, which emits light when activated. When suitable voltage is applied to the leads, electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This is called electroluminescence, and the colour of the light corresponding to the energy of the photon is determined by the energy band gap of the semiconductor.

What does it mean if an LED is buzzing?

An LED normally will only buzz slightly if they are dimmable. This is due to a restriction in current when adjusted on a dimmer switch if the system doesn't acknowledge a minimum load at lower settings. Non dimmable LEDs shouldn't make a buzzing noise at all. If they do, then there may be a problem with the quality of the lamp.

What does it mean if an LED is flickering?

Flickering will only occur if the LEDs are dimmable and not being compatible with the dimming switch. For example if the minimum load on the dimmer isn't met it will cause the bulb to sometimes give a flickering/strobe light effect. Most reputable manufacturers such as Philips and Osram make their dimmable lamps compatible with most types of dimmers. However there are so many new and old versions it is more than likely some people will experience problems. If the LEDs are non-dimmable then this shouldn't happen unless the quality of the bulb is poor.

What are the possible reasons for and solutions to interference with LEDs?

An LED does not produce an 'interference' with products such as radios, televisions etc. An LED is simply a diode that emits light when a DC current is run through it. The power source generating the voltage to run the diode is what can produce an interference.

If the circuit is poorly designed it can cause this problem. The best way to avoid this is sticking to reputable brands who design and manufacture their products properly.

Are LEDs bad for your eyes?

Any type of light can cause serious harm to your eyes if you look at it directly. We advise to never intentionally look directly at any light source.

We are surrounded by light all of the time, and this won't cause damage unless you are using a light source at an incredibly close distance for 12 hours or more.

What are the overall benefits of LED lights?

Benefits to LED lights include huge savings on energy bills, the choice of different colour temperatures to suit different environments and in most cases, you will never have to change your bulbs again.