LED4U

Why LED? Check this out!

All you always wanted to know about LED lights but never dared to ask ;)

LED = Light Emitting Diode.

* General Comparison
LEDs and light bulbs have completely different characteristics!

LED advantages
- Brightness: LEDs produce more light per watt than the normal light bulb, which means that LEDs produce a lot of light and little heat whereas normal light bulbs produce a lot of heat for a little light.
- Energy-Efficiency: LEDs consume less energy than normal light bulbs for the same brightness and have a longer life expectancy (100 000 hours) as opposed to normal light bulbs (some thousands of hours).
- Durability: LEDs are much less susceptible to damage than normal light bulbs.

Normal Light Bulb Advantages
- While LEDs lighting is directional (great for a flashlight), normal light bulbs have a broader range (great for lighting a room).
- Normal light bulbs are cheaper than LEDs.
- Normal light bulbs work on direct and alternating current whereas LEDs always need alternating current at a precise setting.
- Normal light bulbs are not susceptible to static overheating whereas LEDs must be protected from it.

Brightness Comparison
The brightness of a normal light bulb is between 8 and 18 lumen per watt, depending on several criteria, for example, the age of the bulb. The light has a spherical shape.

8 lumens per watt is equivalent to 100 Watts = 800 lumens.

Lumen
The word ‘Lumen’ means the quantity of light emitted by a light source with an intensity of 1 candela, located in an angle and lighting a space of 1m2 at a distance of 1m.
Just remember that 1 lumen = 1 candela = 1 candle.
The efficiency of a light can also be measured in lumens per watt (lm/W).

Lux
The word ‘Lux’ means the net measure of the light through a specific light measure device. It is used to calculate the ‘lumen’. 1 lux means 1 lumen/m2.
Mcd or milli-candela
The brightness of an LED can be measured in milli-candela.
One candela is the bright intensity which lights 1/600 000m² of the surface of a « black blip » in the temperature of a platinum hung at right angles on its surface, this one weighing 101325kg/ms².
To simplify the previous mathematic formula, you just need to know that a candela has approximately the lighting intensity of a candle.

Starting angle (in degree °)
Light is produced by regular LEDs of 5mm and 3mm in a conic shape. So the angle indicates the opening of the cone.
There are two exceptions:
- Diffused LEDs that don’t light so much.
- Oval LEDs that have two angles. The wider the angle is, the bigger the lighting surface will be.

Very interesting article about converting to LED lights:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/28/led-lights-information

Converting to LED lights: everything you need to know LED lighting is finally coming of age, but many of us are still nervous of this relatively new technology. Thanks to campaign group 10:10, Simon Brammer of the Ashden Foundation is here to illuminate us all with his extensive knowledge of converting to LED

Have you ever decided to go to the store to buy LED bulbs to discover that not only you do not know what type of sockets you have in your home but also what bulb will be adequate? That's no problem for us. Just call us and we will come to your home and exchange all the lightbulbs with the appropriate energy efficient LED replacements. We also advise on the type and wattage of the LED lightbulbs for various situations. We do not charge for the service - you only pay for the lightbulbs and the delivery!

Why LED?

LED lightbulbs have multiple advantages compared to incandescent as well as fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, which make them ideal for lighting up your home:

- life span even up to 50,000 hours
- power on instantly to full brightness
- resistant to damage due to vibration or shock
- frequently turning them on and off does not diminish the life span
- use up to 85% less electricity than incandescent bulbs
- do not heat up quite as much as incadescent bulbs
- do not contain mercury - can be disposed of easily
compact size