Considered as the biggest development in the lighting sector since the invention of the light bulb, the use of LEDs is further expanding daily. LEDs, which were mainly used for decorative purposes initially, are now used in every area of our daily lives with their cost-saving structures, long service life and environmental friendliness. Despite their popularity, LEDs, which are considered as the future of lighting, still pose some concerns for many people as well. Many of these concerns are due to misinformation.
Common Misconceptions About LEDs:
False
The brightness of LED lamps varies according to the wattage they have.
True
Assessing the brightness of a lamp only by taking its watt value into consideration is actually a habit that is based on using old type of bulbs. While the brightness of a lamp is measured in lumens, the watt value only indicates “how much power” it consumes. For example, a 40-watt transparent bulb is brighter than a 10-watt transparent bulb, but it has less brightness than a 9-watt LED lamp. Or, an 8 Watt LED Lamp can be brighter than a 10W LED lamp.
False
Since the LEDs would malfunction if they are driven with the maximum current values specified on their datasheets, they should be operated at half power.
“LEDs are used in every area of our daily lives with their cost-saving structures, long service life and environmental friendliness.”
True
The maximum values specified in the datasheets of the LEDs indicate the threshold values that the manufacturer allows for the product. In fact, by specifying this value in the datasheets, the manufacturer actually guarantees that the product will not malfunction even when used under the specified conditions. Therefore, a LED manufacturer can not claim that its product whose datasheet indicates a 1500mA maximum driving current is damaged and out of warranty just because it was driven at this current value. The trick here, which also applies for any current value, is making sure that the internal temperature of the chip of the LED stays within the allowed value range. In other words, as long as the cooling performance of the armature housing is sufficient, the LEDs will not malfunction due to their being driven at maximum current.
False
LED fixtures are very expensive.
True
Considering “only” the initial purchase price, the LED products may be more expensive than others. However, when calculating the actual costs, one should take into account all the costs that will occur during the service life of the product. Considering their much lower electricity consumption, long service life and negligible maintenance needs, the LED fixtures are actually much more economical in terms of total costs.
False
Lighting accounts for only a small part of the electricity bill, so there is no need to replace the regular bulbs with LEDs.
True
In average, 15% of the electricity bill of a house consists of lighting. Considering that this rate was 8.8% in 2001, this is actually a leap. Since the modern electrical appliances we use in our houses consume less energy, it is estimated that 45% of the electricity bills will comprise of lighting expenses by 2025 if conventional lighting systems are continued to be used. For this reason, LED lighting is recommended all over the world.
