This is a common question asked when people are deciding if they should or should not switch over to use LED strip lights instead of staying with their fluorescent tubes. There are a few things you should take a look at when making this decision as the main focus point is the price point for each lighting system. LED’s are indeed more expensive than CFL’s in the initial up front payment but the benefits and cost savings come further down the line with the LED’s, let’s take a look at the differences between the two.
LED’s vs CFL’s
Lifespan
The Compact Fluorescent lights have an expected lifespan of around 10,000 hours, LED’s however have an expected lifespan of 50,000 hours, as you can see that is a much longer lifespan meaning that the maintenance costs are effectively gone because they last so much longer. For the same amount of lifespan as the LED’s you would have to buy 4 more CFL’s and change them over.
Watts
As you can see above the LED’s last much longer, but that is all well and good but do they need more energy to run than the CFL’s? If we take a look at the wattage needed for both lighting system equiverlent to a 60 watt bulb then a CFL requires 14 watts and an LED requires only 10 watts. What this means is that over time the LED strip lights will cost much less to run than the CFL’s which of course means those savings stay in your wallet.
Environmental Impact
LED’s not only help you reduce costs over the long run but they also are much more environmentally friendly, this is because they last much longer, they do not need to be replaced regularly which means less waste, they do not contain any mercury (CFL’s contain 1mg – 5mg of mercury) which is toxic to the environment. The other environmental impact they reduce is the amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions (CO2) as they do not need as much energy to power them.
Other Important Facts
Some other important difference between the two lighting systems are:
- CFL’s may not work under 10 degrees Fahrenheit or over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, LED’s are not affected by this.
- LED’s are not sensitive to humidity but CFL’s can be
- Switching on and off can reduce the life span of the CFL’s but LED’s are not affected by this and will last for the full 50,000 hours.
- LED’s do not produce as much heat as CFL’s so less energy is wasted.
Other Benefits
The other benefits LED’s have over CFL’s is that LED’s come in different types including bulbs and strips, they are also available in different wattages (5w, 10w, 15w, 20w) and voltages (12v, 24v) and different single colours and colour changing (RGB). Another advantage to using LED strip lights is that they can be placed in areas that CFL’s can not.
We have a variety of LED products for sale that are suitable for every projects needs, give our friendly sale team a call and they will help and advice you with your projects requirement. You can call us on 0116 2799 083 or you can Email us here sales@instyleled.co.uk