LED Home Lighting

What You Should Know To Benefit From New Ultra Low Energy LED Home Lighting.

Whether you are simply curious about the new LED home lighting solutions starting to appear in mainstream DIY and hardware supply stores, or already know a bit about LED technology and are keen to do your bit to help in the coming struggle against climate change (global warming) or just want to take steps to slash your fuel bills, the fact is that LED home lighting is the future.

So you’re going to have to come to grips with this and learn what the future of domestic lighting means to you personally. This article aims to clear up some of the confusion that surrounds the various lighting solutions currently available to consumers, looks at why you should care about low energy lighting and provides a helpful guide to evaluating and buying LED home lighting.

Some Background About Domestic Lighting Solutions

The lighting systems we are most familiar with in a domestic setting are based on GLS (General Lighting Service ) light bulbs - these are incandescent filaments that burn (quite literally) and in so doing convert their input energy into about 98% heat (as you would expect for something that is burning) with the remainder given off as incidental light.

GLS bulbs have a typical lifespan of about 1000 hours, at which point, having converted your these-days-not-very-cheap electricity into vastly more heat than light, they need to be replaced. Put another way, if you started out in life with a single GLS light bulb that you used for just 4 hours per evening, you would need to re-purchase well over 100 replacements during the course of your life.

At approximately $1 per light bulb say, that’s $100. And if you think that’s a high price to pay for having a little light in your life, the cost of running your GLS bulb far exceeds the replacement costs at somewhere above $1000 in electricity bills.

And that’s just ONE measly little light bulb for a few small hours each evening. Now you know why your electricity bill is so much bigger that you would like it to be. There’s more here about calculating lighting costs if you’re interested (on this subject, also check out this great collection of other ways to help you tame your money in general).

So… regular GLS incandescent light bulbs are economically a poor choice for you directly. But they are also a very bad way to light the world in general. Not only are you (and everyone else) generating a huge amount of waste heat (remember: 2% illumination, 98% heat radiation), there is also the energy and heat required by the lighting manufacturers to make all those replacement light bulbs (we’ll ignore the disposal issue, but that’s yet another concern).

Needless to say, governments around the world are alarmed by this and many governments in the developed world (where frankly the problem is worst) have already enacted legislation to phase out the production and use of standard incandescent lamps, with timescales as short as 2 to 3 years.

Yes, you read that correctly - very soon you will not be able to buy GLS light bulbs anymore.

So What About Low Energy Light Bulbs?

What indeed about low energy (for which read CFL or Compact Fluorescent Lamp) light bulbs? There are many problems with CFL light bulbs compared to GLS and LED lighting, follow the link for further details, but the short answer is that they are bad news on all fronts.

Total cost of ownership of CFLs is poor (the full purchase and running costs taken together); light quality is horrid; they are bulky, ungainly and downright ugly; most are not dimmable; energy efficiency is not all that great; and the cherry on top - CFLs contain toxic mercury vapour and are therefore hazardous waste.

No wonder even the lighting industry itself is keen to get beyond CFLs and into a lighting technology that really can deliver safe, high-quality light that is low-cost, low-energy, low-heat, low-carbon footprint, ultra long life-span.

The lighting industry is at the sharp end of the reality behind global warming and the relentless energy crisis that will accompany oil depleteion, and the solution that lighting industry giants such as Philips have put their investment behind is the ultimate in energy saving lighting - LED home lighting.

So when you can no longer find GLS light bulbs at your local store in a couple of years time, guess what you’re going to be buying? So now, time to learn what you need to know and what points to consider when buying LED lights for your home.

How And Where To Use LED Lighting In Your Own Home

The first thing to understand about LED lamps is that the light they emit is directional - focused on a single spot. So they are an excellent choice for any existing lighting applications that have similar characteristics. We’re talking here about:

• spot lights
• accent lighting
• sconce lighting
• tracks and clusters
• recessed down lights
• security lighting
• courtesy lights
• walk-in closets
• desk lamps
• decorative & feature lighting

Most people’s home use this type of lighting in kichens, bathrooms, hallways and basements. Anywhere really that needs bright ambient light.

A safe choice at the moment to replace halogen spotlights in particular is the CREE 3-Watt XLamp which is available in a full range of colors, and with a maximum luminous flux above 90 lumens is a good replacement for a regular 35w halogen downlight.

Domestic LED lighting is also particularly effective in situations that have no natural light at all and can therefore use only artificial light, since LED lights have a light quality that is unique and in many ways more versatile than traditional lighting. Just think of some of the really great basement ideas you could create for example using a mixture of colored LED mood lights and cool LED spots. In fact, when planning any new DIY projects, consider how and where you might incorporate LED lighting to add a new dimension, as well as saving you real money long term and helping the environment.

LED lights also work very brilliantly in strips, so under kitchen units and inside cupboards are ideal applications not least because LEDs give off almost no heat, plus their super-bright light is required in a relatively small area rather than spread widely. For the same reason, if you’re looking for walk in closet ideas then simple domestic LED lighting is a great solution.

What they are less good at (at the moment) is all round illumination of the sort you get from say a table lamp with a lamp shade. Though even now there are LED candle and LED GLS replacement globe bulbs available that will outperform general domestic incandescent lighting.

The EvoLux S and EvoLux R globe LED light bulbs are intended as a direct replacement for a regular 100w GLS bulb, with upto 1,000 lumens of brightness (that’s extremely bright by any standard, not just for a low energy light bulb). These come in a variety of regular screw and bayonet fittings and with a choice between warm white down at 3000k (see below for information about LED light color) and cool white at 6000k.

The difference between EvoLux S and EvoLux R globe LED bulbs is that the R series is also dimmable with a built in dimmer capability that allows three preset light levels. It also remembers the previous dimmer setting and automatically returns to the chosen light level when turned off and on. It’s worth noting also that there are also EvoLux Sh and EvoLux Rh variants that have reduced height clearance, for applications where the bulb might otherwise be visible (an all too common problem with CFL bulbs alas, with little sign of a solution from that quarter either).

Given that these EvoLux LED globe replacements for the regular 100w incandescent bulb are powered by a mere 13w LED chip that will last for 50,000 hours and deliver massive savings in electricity costs (not to mention replacement costs), their presently high price still represents excellent value for money.

So, point one: stick initially to what LED home lighting currently does best - directional lighting. But if you do want to try out direct replacement LED bulbs for general lighting, then at the moment the 13w CREE Evolux series is where it’s at.

LED Light Colors

The second area that gets people in a muddle, simply because it’s never been a consideration before when purchasing domestic lighting, is “color”. This is not just color as in green, yellow, red, blue, orange and all the other bright, rich and vibrant colors that are available to home LED lighting systems.

What is mostly meant by color in the context of LEDs is “white color”. LED lamps are available in a range of different “white colors”, meaning the difference between a softer, warmer form of illumination and a sharper, colder effect.

The “color” scale for LEDs is measured in Kelvins and ranges from just below 2000K which has a yellow/orange tinge, through 4000K which is roughly neutral and going up from there to a quite bluish hue. The colors associated with any particular LED product are often described as being one of “warm white”, “white” or “cool white”.

As a general rule warm white LED lights work best indoors as it is closer to the color we have become accustomed to with GLS bulbs, and cool white is a good choice for outdoors or anywhere where you might want sharper definition and illumination that more approximates daylight.

The in-between white color is a matter of personal taste but would certainly be a suitable candidate for any particularly bright spot or recessed lighting or in say a desk lamp.

To understand the difference between “warm white” and “cool white” take a look at this This color measurement example.

LED Equivalent Wattages

Next, we get to power ratings. We are used to traditional light bulbs being rated according to their wattage (the amount of energy they consume), so we know that 100w is pretty bright while 40w is comfortable in a lounge for example and 10w is basically a courtesy or night light.

Low energy LED lights don’t conform to this scale for the obvious reason that they don’t consume anywhere close to the same amount of electricity since nearly all their input power is converted to light rather than wasted as heat. So how do we compare the two?

If you wanted to replace a 50w halogen lamp (both 12 volt MR16 and GU10 mains fittings are commonly available for LED equivalent replacements) then you would most likely being looking at an LED spot light rated at 7w. Move up to say 12w and your LED is taking on a regular floodlight.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that using LED lighting with a dimmer switch can be an issue for the very reason that they are so low wattage. Conventional dimmer switches invariably require quite large loads (high wattages) otherwise they buzz, hum and generally don’t work. Clearly the tiny wattages associated with low energy LED lamps are nowhere near enough to drive these beasts, and so in general people either opt to install energy saving LED lights for applications where dimming is not required or purchase LED dimmer units designed for this purpose (or purchase the EvoLux R LED globe mentioned above, which has a built in dimmer capability).

However, as always it’s not quite so simple. Your choice of color will make a difference - cooler colors will appear much sharper and effectively brighter than warmer colors, but as noted above this can be harsh on the eye for a typical indoor domestic situation. So mentally adjust the wattage equivalent up or down a bit according to the color chosen.

Also, the angle of the light beam from the lamp has a considerable impact. A narrow angle, say 40 degrees or less will shine all of its light onto a relatively small focussed area which will thus appear very bright. A wider angle, anything from 70 to 120 degrees for example, will disperse the illumination over a much wider area but because the light is thus diluted, more will be lit but less brightly.

As an example, consider the GlacialTech LED-BR30 which is a multipurpose 11w LED bulb that has a 120 degree beam, lasts 50,000 hours and delivers 720 lumens illumination (for comparison purpose that’s twice as bright as a regular 40w incandescent which typically outputs 360 lumens).

Point two: take into account power rating (wattage), beam angle and LED light color.

Where To Buy LED Home Lighting

If you are new to low energy LED home lighting then the straightforward answer is: anywhere you can either see an actual example or failing that a decent photograph so you can gauge how a particular LED application will work in your own home before you buy it.

Many specialist lighting shops obviously have displays you can look at (and quite often also catalogs with photographs), and even big DIY and more general stores are now starting to include energy saving LED home lighting in their display items.

The reason for this advice is simple. This new generation of energy saving LED lighting technology is unfamiliar to most people and it will take a while to get used to how the various different bulbs actually perform and what they look like in use.

Also, unlike traditional light bulbs, LED home lighting is a long term investment. It will without doubt save you a great deal of money in the years (decades in fact) ahead but the costs are all upfront.

It is reckoned that most LED lights actually cost less to run than to purchase - and since they last for a very, very long time that is a staggering fact. You do not want to make a mistake you might be stuck with for a significant portion of your life (statistically you are more likely in the USA to keep your LED light bulbs longer than your spouse!).

When it comes to the product itself, find out if possible where both the LED bulb AND the actual LED chip (or “die” as it is sometimes called) within it originate. Although there are many lighting manufacturers selling LED products, there are at present only a handful of chip suppliers - the best of which is arguably Cree.

If you’re looking at say a Philips or Osram LED product that has a reasonable amount of information on the packaging then you are on pretty safe ground and likely to buy a reliable product that performs as you would expect. If on the other hand you are buying the cheapest thing you can find on eBay that ships from China then you will almost certainly get what you deserve and good luck to you.

There is no reason at all why you shouldn’t buy LED lightbulbs direct online - but it would be sensible to first get to know which particular types of LED lamp suit you and your requirements and then to stick to buying from reputable web sites that offer warranties. You tend to get what you pay for and when buying energy saving LED lighting the best advice is to buy top quality brands. You’ll always save money in the long run.