LED Lighting Information
LED Lights or Light Emitting Diode
LED (light emitting diode) lighting is the latest generation of lighting. Although LEDs have been around since the sixties they were very basic and could only be used as an electronic component. In more recent years they have been used mainly in gardens and as accent lighting due to their long life expectancy (usually 30,000 hours) and choice of colours. When LEDs are chosen in blue, red or green they provide a bright colourful light, the bigger the LED, the brighter the light tends to be. The main problem with LED lighting is when the colour white is required. Through reading this page you will have discovered that there are many different shades of white. Older versions of LED could not achieve the same clear crisp shade of white with the correct colour temperature of a halogen. They had a poor colour rendering index level (CRI) and were not very bright.
Recent advances in technology have seen LED lighting improve to the point were it has taken over from halogen and compact fluorescent in almost every way. They last 4x longer than compact fluorescent and 20x longer than halogen. Offering energy savings of 60% compared to compact fluorescent and 90% compared to halogen. For almost every incandescent or halogen lamp there is an LED solution.
The original problems such as poor colour rendering and insufficient brightness have been resolved with the arrival of high power LEDs. High power LEDs come in the form of the popular GU10 cap and can be a direct retrofit for halogen running directly from the mains.
Others types of high power LEDs are LED downlights, this new breed of downlight comes as a complete fitting; a 3x3W LED, an LED driver that only used 7.9W to power it and an aluminium downlight. LED downlights last between 30,000 and 75,000 hours, they are available in IP65 (water and dust resistant), fire rated and dimmable. The only problem with LEDs now is the price, but for a larger initial investment your lighting can last for 30 years (based on 6 hours per day use). With the money saved in energy the payback period will be between 1 and 2 years depending on your circumstances and usage.
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LED Colour Options
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Colour Temperature | Appearance | Reference |
| 3000K | Warm white | Colour 830 |
| 4000K /4200K | Cool White / Natural White | Colour 840 |
| 6500K | Daylight | Colour 860 or 865 |
LED Bulbs
While the correct industry term for a light bulb is a lamp, many consumers use the term 'LED bulb' to describe an 'LED lamp' so please stand corrected and start using the correct term - you've been warned!
LED Downlights
An LED downlight is a light fitting with an LED light source. The light source could be a replaceable LED such as a GU10 lamp, or it could have an integrated LED. Integrated LED downlights come as one sealed unit that operate on mains voltage and have a built in LED driver.
LED Tubes
Taking over as the longer lasting, low energy option from fluorescent, LED tubes can be used to replace existing fluorescent tubes in batten or non corrosive style fittings. The main sizes of LED tube are T5 and T8. The T12 size which was used in 100W & 125W 8FT sizes and thicker 6FT to 2FT sizes were the first batches to get phased out with new energy saving regulations.
LED Spotlights
An LED spotlight is a surface mounted light fitting with a directional head. It can contain one or more lights that can be adjusted in any direction where the light is needed. Some consumers call a GU10 LED lamp an LED spotlight, but this isn't the correct industry term.
LED Strip Tape
LED tape is a flexible series of LED chips that are positioned on a self adhesive backing. Similar to sellotape but with LED lights. This has been one of the best inventions to come from the LED lighting revolution. Its universal design allows you to cut at regular intervals and create your own LED lighting fixtures. Just match an appropriate sized LED driver to power the length of strip or strips that your connected to it.
