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FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
We have compiled a
comprehensive list of answers to your questions.
What is an LED?
What colour of light can LED emit?
Why is the colour of an LED important?
What are the advantages of LEDs compared with conventional incandescent lights?
Could you give more detailed explanations about these LED advantages?
What are the
Advantages/disadvantages
of LEDs incandescent light Bulbs?
Is there an equation to compare LED to incandescent watts?
What LED products are currently available for general customers?
As we notice that in LED light
strings, LEDs are in series connection just like
incandescent light strings, how do you compare these two
kinds of light strings in terms of reliability?
Why are LEDs of some colours are
more expensive than LEDs of other colours?
Why should I buy an LED Bulb?
Where is it appropriate to use LED bulbs?
Do your LED bulbs contain mercury?
Do LED bulbs work in regular light sockets and fixtures?
Are LED bulbs easy to
install?
How bright are LED
bulbs? What is the light quality of an LED bulb?
Do LED bulbs
give off heat?
What transformer can
I use with MR16 LED bulbs?
Do your LEDs work
with dimmers?
What is the minimum and maximum
working voltage for MR16 and MR11’s?
A
light emitting diode (LED) is a small solid-state semi-conductor chip,
encapsulated in a silicon epoxy,
which emits light when partnered with an electrical
current. First introduced in the 1960s in red, yellow
and green, they were used mainly in appliances and
digital clock displays. The blue LED was developed
in 1994.
LEDs do appear to be bulbs but in fact are not. LED's are
tiny semiconductors encapsulated in plastic,
which protect their components and
help focus the light.
Most LEDs are monochromatic. Light colour is associated with the light
wavelength. LEDs made with
different semiconductor materials emit lights in
different wavelengths. LED light wavelengths range from
400 nanometers (blue) to 800 nanometers (red) and
2700 Kelvin to 7000 Kelvin for White. The colours of
popularly available LEDs in the market are red,
orange, amber, yellow, green, blue and white.
There are several obvious advantages LEDs have over traditional incandescent
light bulbs, they are as
follows:
• Low power consumption - energy saving,
• Long lasting,
• Cold lighting,
• Ruggedness,
• Small size and weight,
• Fast switch times,
• Simple to use's.
Yes. Currently available LEDs
are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, but less than
florescent bulbs with the same light output. The power
consumption of popular LEDs ranges from 30mW
to 200 mW. People can save money & energy by using LEDs instead of
equivalent incandescent decorative bulbs. The rated average working life of LED is 50,000 hours
compared with 1,000 hours of incandescent bulbs. LEDs emit cold lights as working LEDs generate very small
amount of heat, so LEDs are much safer than equivalent incandescent light bulbs in terms of danger of
fire. LEDs don’t have filaments to heat up in order to emit lights just like the case of incandescent bulbs.
Lights are emitted from LEDs as a result of
energy exchange occurring in the different semiconductor materials
an LED is made of.
LEDs are usually shielded with solid transparent plastic
materials so they are more rugged than
incandescent and florescent bulbs that are usually sealed
with glass.
LEDs can be powered by either AC voltage or DC voltage. The
circuit that is required to appropriately drive
LEDs is much simpler than that for florescent bulbs.
.
Yes, the
most significant disadvantage is the light output limitation of LED. Currently
available LEDs emit
limited amount of lights at a relatively small angle
range, while incandescent and florescent light bulbs
illuminate in all directions and give out much more
brightness of light.
The second significant disadvantage is the high prices
of LEDs. The currently available LEDs in the market
are 3 ~ 10 times more expensive than equivalent
incandescent light bulbs. This is why some customers
still hesitate to buy LED products even though LEDs have so many obvious advantages over incandescent
bulbs and people actually can save money by using
LED products in the long run.
Unfortunately,
there is not a simple formula to convert an LED light output into an
incandescent equivalent.
It depends on the LED manufacturer and colour temperature of
the lamp. Here is a general rule-of-thumb:
incandescent emits 8-30 lumens per watt, compact fluorescent
emits 30-60 lumens per watt, and linear
fluorescent emits 40-90 lumens per watt. Depending on the
quality of LED, they currently fall in the 40-130
lumens per watt category; this of course is suggestive and is
ever changing, as is LED technology.
The most popular LED products
available in volume at the market place are various kinds of LED decoration
light products. And in fact, they are ideal for replacing conventional
incandescent decoration light products, because when compared with incandescent
light products, these LED products save up to 95% energy, have much longer
working hours, are more rugged, and safer in terms of danger of fire and
electric shock.
At present, people can buy beautiful LED light strings, LED rope lights, LED
icicle strings, and individual round LED bulbs with changeable colours, LED rope
lights, LED strip lights, and more other LED products will be put into market in
the near future.
LEDs are more reliable. Most
available LED light strings have series configuration like old incandescent
light strings, where lights in the string are connected in series with each
other, so a disconnection of LED light from the string will always make the
entire string fail just like incandescent light strings. However, in the case of
light burning, an incandescent light bulb will always burn open, namely, the
filament of the incandescent bulb breaks, so the whole string will always fail,
while an LED light may either burn open like an incandescent light bulb or burn
short where a short circuit is formed inside the LED, so the burned LED will
stop lighting but all the rest LEDs in the string still light normally. And LEDs
usually burn short, therefore, LEDs are more reliable than incandescent light
bulbs in that respect.
The reason is that different
semiconductor materials are used for different colour LEDs, and some
semiconductor materials are more expensive than others; another reason is that
manufacturing costs are different. White LEDs are the most expensive because
red, green and blue LEDs are combined together to make a white LED.
With rising energy costs, it
is critical to improve your household’s energy efficiency. Around 11% of an
average British household’s electrical usage is attributed to lighting. One of
the easiest steps you can take toward greater energy efficiency can be done in a
matter of seconds – change your old light bulbs to LED bulbs.
LEDs consume far less energy than incandescent, halogen, or compact fluorescent
bulbs. You will save money and reduce carbon emissions – all from replacing a
tiny light bulb!
LED light bulbs are appropriate when you need powerful
directional lighting. Presently, LED excels over other bulbs in spot and flood
lighting applications. Track lighting, spot lighting, canister lights, and
outdoor flood lights are currently the most appropriate places to use LED bulbs.
Our LED bulbs are mercury-free and meet the strict
requirements of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (ROHS)?
Do LED bulbs
work in regular light sockets and fixtures?
Yes. LED light bulbs will work in most standard light
sockets and fixtures, such as Edison screw-in base and MR16 track lighting.
Are LED bulbs easy to install?
Yes. Installing or changing an LED light bulb is like
changing any other bulb, with the advantage that you’ll need to change it far
less often!
How
bright are LED bulbs? What is the light quality of an LED bulb?
The light quality of LED is terrific – equal to or better
than conventional bulbs. Because there is no radiant glare, LEDs produce a
cleaner light quality. Most people discuss light brightness in terms of lumens.
One important thing to understand is that colour temperature is an important
consideration alongside lumens.
For example, a light bulb may have high lumens, but a low colour temperature,
resulting in poor colour rendition. So, although a light is supposed to have a
high light output, it’s low colour temperature renders visible objects very
poorly. A good experiment you can do is to observe a yellow-coloured street
light at night – the light gives off a lot of light (high lumen output), but it
is still very difficult for your eyes to perceive objects.
Now, contrast this with a light bulb that may or may not have high lumen output,
but has a higher (whiter) colour temperature. In every case, even at a lower
lumen output, a higher colour temperature means that your eyes will better
perceive objects and colour. So, although LED light bulbs may have lower lumens
than conventional bulbs, they compensate with their excellent colour
temperature. Especially true with outdoor lighting, a higher colour temperature
(whiter bulb) translates into better lighting.
Do LED
bulbs give off heat?
LED light bulbs only give off ambient, room temperature
heat around the LED itself. One reason LEDs are efficient is due to the low
amount of heat around the LED diode junction. To accomplish this efficiency,
heatsinks are required to draw heat away from the LED junction. The heatsink may
get hot, so be careful not to touch it.
What transformer can I
use with MR16 LED bulbs?
You should use a transformer rated at 12V only. As a
general good practice, please test your transformer’s voltage before using LED
or any other light bulb. A transformer not operating at 12V will create bulb
flicker and potentially ruin the bulb.
Do your LEDs work with dimmers?
We do not recommend using our LED bulbs with traditional
dimmer switches, as it may diminish the lifetime of the bulb. However dimming
can be achieved by varying the input voltage to the LED (Only for low voltage
MR16 and MR11 Models)
What is the minimum and maximum working voltage for MR16 and MR11’s?
The minimum and maximum working voltage for MR16 and
MR11’s is 7 to 15 Volts although we recommend a constant 12V input. Any voltage
below 12V will decrease the light intensity.
Want to find out more. Visit some useful sites below on the future of LEDS
Lighting.
www.energysaving.co.uk
www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy
www.adviceguide.org.uk
www.london.gov.uk
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