Imagine having Thomas Alva Edison himself here to answer the age-old question: Which is better—Traditional incandescent lights or Light-emitting diodes, or as we call them, “LED lights”? Why don’t we let science do the talking?
Incandescent lights are your everyday classic, old bulb system. They work by heating a filament wire made of Tungsten to great temperature resulting in the emission of electromagnetic waves in the visible light spectrum. The filament is surrounded by a glass filled with an inert gas, like Argon.
LED lights, on the flip side, are electrical devices with two electrodes that force current in a specified direction, which is the primary function of a diode. Diodes are generally made of semi-conductive materials such as Silicon. Semi-conductive meaning they conduct electricity only under distinct circumstances, like a specific voltage.
LED lights for home have far better energy to light emission ratio. In layman’s terms, they are simply substantially more efficient. Why so, you ask? It is because LEDs waste almost no to very little energy in the form of infrared radiation, which translates to zero heat energy being imparted. On the contrary, bulb filaments heat up to a staggering 3000 degrees Celsius, most of which is wasted energy. Add this to the fact that bulbs are omnidirectional and deliver light at 360 degrees, and waste energy by emitting light in unwanted directions. LEDs work directionally and emit light at 180 degrees, taking full advantage of light reflection and wasting minuscule amounts of energy. In addition, LEDs last much longer at an average life span of 100,000 hours versus the 1200 hours lifespan of an incandescent bulb. This means you do not have to often invest in and it ensures savings.
LEDs require much fewer working parts, which dramatically reduces maintenance and long-term costs, making it significantly more cost-efficient, despite the slightly higher initial purchase cost. An LED is usually very small in size, making it more versatile and easier to fit in tight places. LEDs provide no safety hazards, but bulbs can over-heat and blast with the cracked glass scattering in all directions. They can also cause minor burns if touched while in use. LEDs have no such problem, because they have no ‘warm-up’ and ‘cool-down’ periods; they emit light instantly and cut off light emission immediately after being switched off, unlike bulbs, tube lights, and .
LEDs can be fitted with multiple wavelength diodes to simultaneously emit a wide range of light colours, while a single bulb with a certain filament can only emit a single wavelength; thus, to change colours you may need to purchase multiple bulbs. Thanks to the low cycling periods of LEDs, they also produce flickers at a much lesser frequency than bulbs.
Another disadvantage of using incandescent bulbs in close quarters is the amount of heat they produce. Due to their inefficiency, too many bulbs in a small space can lead to extensive heat emission, thereby increasing the room temperature.
LEDs fail by dimming slowly over a certain period of time. Because LED lights usually function with numerous light emitters in one luminaire, a loss of 1 or 2 diodes do not lead to seizure of the entire luminaire. In the case of a bulb, over-usage leads to a mini-explosion inside the filament, and as a result, the bulb becomes completely redundant. Overall, LEDs come with a 5–10-year warranty, while bulbs come with no warranty at all. We’re sure you will make the right choice when having to choose between the two!
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