In the recent past, there has been a great advancement in the lighting technology, from traditional halogen bulbs to fluorescents bulbs. The most recent addition to the technology is light-emitting diodes or LED bulbs. LED lights and halogen lights are both very popular among consumers for both indoor and outdoor lighting. Halogen bulbs are filled with halogen gas and produce light by means of passing electric current through a resistive filament that glows and thereby emits visible light. On the other hand, LED bulbs produce light by running electric current between two electrodes.
Listed below are some of the key benefits of LED lights over halogen lights:
Higher Cost Savings: The true cost of a halogen bulb is the cost of the replacement bulb, labor expense, and time required for replacement. The shorter life span of halogen bulbs result in frequent bulb replacements and thus could result in major costs where there are a large number of bulbs installed such as, office buildings, and skyscrapers. This issue can be significantly reduced by using LED lights whose average operational life is approximately 11 years of continuous operation. Also, LED bulbs do not use as much power as halogen bulbs. Although LED bulbs are expensive to buy as compared to the halogen bulbs, the cost is recovered over time in energy cost savings.
Higher Energy Savings: LED bulbs operate at 80% efficiency, which means that 80% of the electrical energy is converted into light. The remaining 20% is lost in the form of heat energy. Lower heat released also means less air conditioning/cooling, if required, and thus additional cost savings. Halogen bulbs, on the contrary, operate at 20% efficiency and thus 80% of the electrical energy is lost as heat.
- LED lamps and fixtures can offer an enormous advantage to any homeowner
Lower Heat: Halogen bulbs generate light by passing electric current through the resistive filament, hence heating the filament to very high temperatures. Also, the excessive heat loss can potentially damage objects illuminated by halogen bulbs and are dangerous in case of contact with skin and flammable materials. On the other hand, LED bulbs generate less heat and are safe to touch.
Higher Quality: High quality LED bulbs emit light that is bright, directional, and has a high color rendering index, which makes colors more prominent compared to the dull and washed out look of typical halogen bulbs.
Longer Life Expectancy: The operational life of a LED bulb is approximately 100,000 hours as compared to 5,000 hours of a halogen bulb.
Wider Selection: LED lights are available in multiple colors and make a perfect choice for all purpose lighting and decorative purposes as well such as Christmas lights and garden lights. Halogen bulbs are usually available in white and yellow color.
LED lights are the future of household lighting due to their low maintenance, cost effectiveness and efficiency. They help save the environment, energy, and money. The widespread use of LED light could potentially lead to its powerful and cheap adoption for everyday use in homes, offices, gardens, automobiles, street lights, etc. It is also predicted that future LED lights will last longer and will consume even less power and energy as compared to the energy efficient LED lights available in the market today.
