LED vs. Fluorescent Lights: A Comparative Guide

Did you know that Americans use 6.63 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year to power Christmas lighting?

Portable and colored lighting is one of the most popular forms of decoration in the USA, especially at Christmas.

If you are planning to create a specific mood in your house by investing in lighting what do you need to know? Many people have strong opinions on the LED vs fluorescent lights debate. 

Why not take a few minutes to learn more about these types of lighting in our in-depth article. 

What’s the Difference Between Fluorescent and LED Lights?

Although both are common, Fluorescent and LED lights work using completely different technologies. 

A fluorescent light produces UV radiation. This becomes visible when it interacts with the phosphor that is coating the inside of the bulb. This combination of radiation and chemicals creates the light that we get from compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

Led lighting, however, is a solid-state technology that does not use chemicals to create light. LEDs emit electromagnetic radiation in the form of visible light. This light is cool and so does not waste energy as other technologies that produce both light and heat do.

Create Lighting Effect of Your Dreams With LEDs

LEDs are very flexible and can actually work at any percentage of their rated power. This makes them ideal for environments where you want to add dimmed lighting. In addition to this, the LEDs actually become more efficient at lower power levels.

It literally means that the lower the power setting of the LED, the less you will pay in electricity costs. Further using the LEDs at a lower power level reduces the wear on the bulbs themselves.

Correlated Color Temperature (CCT)

It is far easier to produce colored lighting using LEDs than CFLs. You purchase based forms of white, including warm, yellowish glow and white light. 

You can use these to create a warmer atmosphere in your home. Many people report a feeling of wellness associated with the natural light that LEDs produce. 

What is the advantage of LED Lighting?

In recent years LED (or Light-Emitting Diode) lighting technology has greatly improved and has become both more effective and cheaper. For instance, LED lighting is known to be more flexible and aesthetically pleasing.

Fluorescent lighting makes use of a ballast that stabilizes the light bulb. As the light fixture degrades with age, however, that ballast can begin to produce an annoying buzzing sound.

Fluorescent bulbs have changed over the years, however, their design is usually significantly bulkier than LED lights. Further, their design means that they emit light over 360 degrees. this means that they send light in all directions leading to much-wasted energy.

What Kind of Light Do LEDs Produce?

While CFLs emit a large amount of light, LEDs distribute light far more efficiently. They only produce light using a limited number of wavelengths, this means that they do not waste energy by producing light at wavelengths that we cannot see or use. 

The light that LEDs produce is more closely identified to natural light than other artificial lights. This is measured using the CRI, or Color Rendering Index. 

Natural light is measured anywhere between 0-100 CRI. 100 is the closest point to natural daylight. Household LEDs are generally between 75-95, much higher than other forms of artificial light. 

Further unlike other bulb types, they require little time to warm up and come to full glorious brightness.

Is LED Lighting Safer?

One of the crucial differences between fluorescent lighting and LED lighting is the chemicals used in their makeup. 

When the glass in a CFL breaks, the argon and mercury contained in the bulbs could cause a danger to people who come in contact with it. If you do not dispose of large amounts of CFLs in the proper way, these chemicals can cause damage to the environment.

CFLs are effective in illuminating large areas. However, they require careful handling, replacement, and disposal techniques that cost both time and money. Experts expect that LEDs will soon overtake CFLs as the cheaper option for lighting large areas

How Much Money can LED lighting Save You?

Experts tell us that an incandescent bulb will last for up to 1000 hours; a CFL however, will give light for 10,000 hours. However, you may be surprised to learn that an LED light will last for up to 25,000 hours. These include lights that are used outdoors. 

By way of example, if you were to use an incandescent bulb for 6 hours per day for 20 years likely the total cost of electricity would be about $360. However, as the design of LED lights gives greater efficiency, the cost of running an LED for this length of time would only be $72. 

It is important to consider the long-term savings that LED bulbs provide. This is because they do have a higher initial cost. However, after the initial purchase expense, they will more than recoup this money during their lifetime. 

The saving you make by choosing an LED over an incandescent or fluorescent lamp is then multiplied by the number of bulbs that you use in a house. This could save you thousands of dollars over a period of two decades.

LED vs Fluorescent Lights:  Which is Best for You?

You may be looking to provide mood lighting for your home reading room, or you planning for next year's Christmas celebrations. We are constantly making decisions about lighting options in our homes. 

In the debate regarding led vs fluorescent lights, the prıncıples outlınes above will guide you as to which will meet your needs. 

If you are interested in learning more about lighting technologies, then we are here to help you. We leverage our years in the electrical and lighting industries to provide reliable guidance and trustworthy services. 

Why not contact us or read our blog to find out how we can help you today.