8 Things to Know About LED Lighting
March 11, 2010

Two years ago we touted the energy savings available just by dimming your incandescent lighting. Now the emphasis is installing energy efficient lighting from day one.

Thinking of buying energy-efficient LED fixtures for your new or existing home? There are a lot of LED lights on the market today, but buyer beware. As with most product families, good, long-lasting LED lights are available, but will generally cost more. Here are some other items to consider.

Tip #1

Where’s the power supply? Most LEDs require low-voltage, so they must have an AC-to-DC adapter, transformer, or power supply to operate them. These can be internal or external to the fixture. Make sure the location of the power supply fits with your installation plan.

Tip #2

Color Temperature, or Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) refers to the appearance of the light. “Warmer” yellowish light like that from an incandescent bulb is in the 2700 to 3000 Kelvin (K) range, while bluish or cool light like that of some fluorescents is in the 5000K-plus range. Make sure the CCT supports the lighting effect you are trying to achieve.

Tip #3

Similar to the above tip, the Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a measure of the ability of a light source to render colors, on a scale of 100 - the higher the better. The CRI for many white-light LEDs is between 75 and 85.

Tip #4

How does the manufacturer define lifetime? Lifetime typically refers to the useful time of light output, also referred to as lumen maintenance. For white LEDs, lifetime refers to the time after which 70 percent or more of the useful light remains.

Tip #5

When discussing lighting lifetime, ask if the quoted lifetime includes the electronics and other components necessary to drive the LED source? Your time delay until a replacement is only as long as the weakest link in the system.

Tip #6

Also ask if the fixture have any special features for heat sinking or thermal management? Though the light from LEDs itself is not hot, the backs of the fixtures can get very hot.

Tip #7

Ask what warranty is offered? Beware of vague guarantees!

Tip #8

Does installation of LED fixtures include all the necessary components to operate the lights? Many LED fixtures require external components and controls in order to be operated. Make sure you have an accurate cost of installation for the entire lighting system.

Happy Shopping!