Feature Lighting Picking the brightest option
Jeanine Chrobak-Kando of Verbatim weighs up LEDs versus CFLs and advises on the brightest option
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hen you consider the cost of domestic lighting each year (equating to around 15-20% of electricity con- sumed), then it is somewhat surpris- ing that the take-up of energy saving lamps is not higher. It is perhaps because there is a misconception with low energy lighting, with many people falsely believing that it lacks all the benefits that have made tradi- tional bulbs so popular. Nevertheless, as old, inefficient bulbs are phased out, high brightness lamps based around LEDs are deservedly taking the limelight. LEDs will operate without failure when left on for long periods or when switched on and off regularly. LED lamp manufacturers can offer such reliability by deploying effective ther- mal management control systems to prevent the LEDs from overheating. A reputable LED can be used for over 35,000 hours which is at least twice as long as a standard compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and often three or even four times longer.
High quality LED lamps use better construction techniques to ensure that heat is successfully conducted away, which helps them last longer. The LED chips are precisely colour matched to deliver consistency and ensure you don’t have individual lamps with subtly different colours in a room. This allows users to gain the benefits of excellent spot, accent or general purpose lighting in the home coupled with low power consump- tion and long life. To help you tune into the desired mood of a room even further, the dim- ming range with LED lamps is gener- ally better than CFL and today’s designs will work with old style dim- ming circuits. What’s more, LEDs offer an immediate start to full brightness without any delay.
Looking inside an LED
If you were to take an LED lamp apart you would find an array of tiny chips that light up when electricity passes through them. This array of elements is key to the attractiveness of LED lighting. Some LED lamps
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produce white light in a similar way to CFLs - the components produce blue light but a phosphor coating on the surface of the LEDs converts that to visible white light. The ability of LED lamps to easily emulate differ- ent shades of light is a key advantage it holds over CFLs, but there are many others to consider.
CFLs vs LEDs
The CFL comes with many compro- mises. It usually takes minutes before a CFL reaches full brightness. And when it does fully switch on, the light is not as attractive as conventional lighting which people have become accustomed to. There are also major concerns about how fast CFLs will degrade and the ultraviolet radiation they emit.
CFLs are a similar technologically to the fluorescent tubes used in ware- houses and offices - environments where lighting choice is made primar- ily for functionality and efficiency rather than aesthetic reasons. In com- parison, LED lamps are increasingly more able to deliver attractive tones of white light in the home.
A further drawback of the CFL is its reliance on the toxic element mer- cury to convert electricity into light. The presence of the mercury means you cannot simply throw away the lamps when they reach the end of their life as they may break and release toxic vapours. CFLs need to be disposed of carefully, which
Above and below: the LED lamp is a very attractive lighting option as they are more eco-friendly and energy efficient than alternative lighting
technologies
means taking them to a recycling point with appropriate facilities. Lamps that use LEDs do not contain any hazardous materials and so they can easily be recycled to reduce the pressure on landfill when they do finally need to be replaced.
Above: Jeanine Chrobak-Kando of Verbatim
LED technology now competes with eco-halogen lamps that can save over 30% in costs compared with conventional halogen lamps. Halogen lamps, like old style light- bulbs, produce light by heating a tungsten filament with an electrical current. The new eco-halogen lamps use a special coating to redirect infrared light back towards the fila- ment to improve efficiency. However, eco-halogen lamps are still far less efficient and durable than CFLs and LEDs. LEDs are at least three times more efficient than eco- halogen lamps and, by virtue of their robust solid state technology, will typically last 15 times longer.
Conclusion In summary, the LED lamp is a very attractive home lighting option. LEDs are more eco-friendly and energy efficient than alternative lighting technologies. Although they may be more expensive to buy than CFLs and eco-halogen lamps ini- tially, LEDs save you even more money in the long term as they last far longer and will pay for them- selves many times over before they need replacing.
Verbatim
www.verbatim-europe.co.uk T: 0800 3883 2222
Enter 223 APRIL 2013 Electrical Engineering
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