Introduction 

LEDS are the future of lighting, with energy prices going through the roof and pollution ever increasing. LED bulbs are durable, are mercury free, have a long lasting life of upto 50,000hours, and save money on your energy costs upto 90% instantly upon swapping old for new.

Incandescent/Halogen lamps have been the favoured option mainly due to low initial cost and sheer brightness. With LED bulbs this is a thing of the past, lumens per watt efficiency is  increasing year on year, cost of LEDS reducing year on year due to their popularity.  High Power LED bulbs can now replicate a standard lamp in terms of brightness, but with the added benefit of lower power.

Incandescent/Halogen bulbs waste 90% of the energy through heat, LEDs do not have this problem as a result LEDs are amazingly efficient. Majority of the power used of LEDs is solely used to generate light, a 6 watt LED can replace a 60 watt standard bulb. Save money for the same amount of light output.

LED bulbs typically have a 10 year+ life span, no need to change lamps every year, with LED bulbs you can forget about them. LED lamp brightness does not decrease constantly over its life like incandescent/Halogen/CFL lamps. Whereby you start with 600 lumens and drop off to as much as 300 lumens losing as much as 50% brightness. LED bulbs after 2000 hours only dip in power 5% then stay constant till the day they fail.

Over time LEDs lamps will replace the popular CFL energy saving lamps, as they are not aesthetically pleasing on the eye and take an eternity to get to maximum brightness. LED have increased efficiency, quality of colour light, long lasting life, and save on the environment. Businesses need to reduce their carbon emissions, lighting accounts for a sizeable portion, LEDs will save on your CO2 quota instantly.

Q: What is a colour temperature?

Q: What colour temperature should I choose?    

Natural White light is similarly matched to daylight, perfect for offices, open areas and other working environments.

Cool white light is ideally suited to produce a bright white ideal for Kitchens, Bathrooms, outdoors to produce a clinical bright white with a blue tint.

Q: What does the term “colour rendering” mean?

The Colour Rendering Index (CRI) measures the capability of the light source to reproduce the true colour of an object, in comparison with a reference light source – ie. the sunlight.

For cool lamps, the reference light source is usually the natural daylight, whereas for warmer lamps the reference light source will often be an incandescent light.

A lamp with a low CRI, the colours will appear unnatural. The higher the CRI, the more natural the colours will appear. A high CRI will be particularly useful where the true colour of light is important, if required we would recommend 90ra lamps. 

Q: Do LED bulbs produce ultraviolet (UV) light? 

LED bulbs/tubes do not produce UV light, unlike regular fluorescent light bulbs used in your home and office. Which typically emit a small amount of UV, to note the UV produced by fluorescent light bulbs/tubes are nowhere near the UV produced by natural daylight. (Ultraviolet light if subjected to long periods can cause skin damage.)

Q: How much heat do LEDs emit compared to regular, halogen light bulbs? 

LED lights are surprisingly cool/warm to touch when compared to regular light bulbs, known as incandescent/Halogen bulb which when turned on become very hot. The differences are they have a heat a filament inside the bulb which creates light through heat, about 90% of the energy is totally wasted in the form of heat, effectively using your incandescent light bulb to indirectly heat your home. To drastically reduce the heat emitted, and consume lower wattage, which uses less power, use LEDs to save money instantly from the moment you replace old for new.

Q: Do LED bulbs contain mercury?

LED bulbs do not have any mercury contained within the bulb unlike CFLs( energy saving bulbs) which contain a small amount of mercury. Totally save product

Q: Which type of LED should I buy SMD type or high power LEDs with lens mounted on the front

SMD disperse the light in a totally different way to HP with lens. SMD do not have lens to focus the light as a result spread the light over a greater area typically 140 degree beam angle.  Ideal for flooding a room with light, to reduce bulb count, saving cost.

If you require a more focused beam of light, the HP LED with lens with a typical beam angle of 35-45 degrees, is ideal for shining on wall, pictures, table, generally where a directional focused light is required.

Q: What type of base fixings are available

Generally all types of base can be produced with LED.

GU10, MR16, Bayonet, Edison Screw, fully integrated down light

Q: What types of LED are on the market

Pretty much everything, you can buy an equivalent or as good as a Incandescent bulb as a LED form.

GU10 LED spot lights, MR16, LED Down lights, standard LED bulbs, LED Candle bulbs, LED Tubes, etc

MR16 will slowly fade out as they require a transformer which will blow out before LEDs therefore GU10 are the future for the spotlight fixing as mains powered.  

Q: How long do LEDs last for?

LEDs typically have a 10 year+ life spa (50,000 hrs), no need to change lamps every year, with LED bulbs you can forget about them. LED lamp brightness does not decrease constantly over its life like incandescent/Halogen/CFL lamps.  

As LEDs last so long, fully integrated LED down lights which include the chrome fitting, transformer and LED all in one piece, simple, just wire to mains and leave alone.

Q: How much energy could I save by changing to LED

Incandescent/Halogen bulbs waste 90% of the energy through heat, LEDs do not have this problem as a result, LEDs are amazingly efficient. Majority of the power used of LEDs is solely used to generate light, a 6 watt LED can replace a 60 watt standard bulb.

 Save money for the same amount of light output. Typically pay back on your initial investment of purchasing the LED bulbs is approximately 6 months the more you use the more you save, its a simple as that.

With the price of electricity going up year on year, you can save upto 90% of your energy bill on lighting instantly, if you replace with LED bulbs. No waiting around for engineer or maintenance guy to change over or service, simply swap out old for new and start saving now....

Comparable Costs over its life Vs LED lamp

Energy Saving Bulb - £5 x 10 (50,000 / 5,000hrs) =£50 Equivalent cost per bulb

Halogen Lamp - £2 x 25 (50,000 / 2,000 hrs) = £50 Equivalent cost per bulb

Average Usage - 5hrs lights ON a day x 365 (days in a year) = Change bulbs every 13 months.

PLUS you save money over its duration as it is more efficient therefore reducing your electricity bills instantly by upto 85%.

Q: What is the luminous flux Comparison (Efficiency comparison)

The Luminous Efficacy of 5W LED bulb is 4 times more efficient than an equivalent halogen version. In a light fixture due to the halogen light reflecting within the lighting fixture, it has loss of light (LED light source not the case). Therefore the 5w LED light is 6.5 times more efficient than a halogen lamp. This shows LED lamps save energy by approx 85% than Halogen lamps.

The Luminous Efficacy of 5W LED bulb is equal to energy saving version. In a light fixture due to the energy saving light reflecting within the lighting fixture, it has loss of light (LED light source is not). This shows LED lamps save energy by approx 49% than energy saving bulbs.

The Luminous Efficacy of LED bulb is equal to 1.6 times energy saving bulb, 4 times halogen bulb. Led bulb has an outstanding Ra. Its lifetime is equal to 10 times energy saving bulb, 25 times halogen lamp.

Q: Are LEDs environmentally friendly

Yes, by not changing them every 6 months you are not throwing away unwanted bulbs into the land fill site with un wanted waste. Secondly you are saving energy, therefore reducing the Co2 carbon footprint, making the air and environment a better place.

Q: How quick do LED take to get to maximum brightness

LEDs unlike CFL energy saving bulbs output maximum brightness within milli-seconds. Whereas CFL lamps take upto 15 minutes to slowly get brighter and brighter, and more often than not, produce a dull, dim light.

As soon as you turn the light off or on the light is instantaneous. This is why traffic signs, car lights use LEDs, as the reaction time is so much faster, enabling the user to react over a longer period.

Q: What wattage LED light do I need

This depends on room size and personal brightness requirements.

In general for standard LED bulbs

1-3W ideal for: side lights, table lamps, floor standing lights to give ambience.

3-5W ideal for: bathroom, bedroom, entrance hall, utility room, rooms that do not require lots of bright light.

5-8W ideal for: dining room, hall way, living room, bedroom that requires constant bright light. 

We hope this LED lighting bulbs buying guide has been of use, if you have more questions about LEDs or light switches please contact us.