FACTORS IN SELECTING LED LIGHTING FIXTURES

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Consumers are of course familiar with the traditional method of buying replacement light bulbs for existing fixtures.  LED bulbs offer better energy savings, crisp clean lighting and long life without replacement compared to regular bulbs and can be used to similarly replace existing bulbs, however since LED technology does not require protection of a fragile filament there is no need for a bulb.  However, many consumers elect to replace the traditional incandescent, fluorescent, or high intensity discharge (HID) fixtures with new LED light fixtures designed to optimize the life and effectiveness of the fixture.

There are many factors to consider when selecting new LED fixtures including:

  • Kelvin temperature- a more precise measure of the shade of white light. LED light can be selected in many different Kelvin temperatures from a very warm white to a very cool white.
  • Lumens per watt- the efficiency of the LED. Lumens per watt is increasing every year so the already energy efficient LED fixtures become more and more efficient even as the prices come down.
  • Expected life of the LEDs- usually stated in terms of lumen maintenance over time, e.g. LM70 which is the lifespan of the LED up to the point of providing 70% of the original illumination. Most LED lighting options today should offer at least 50,000 hours LM70, and some of our products exceed 300,000 hours LM70.
  • Expected life of the driver- the driver (transformer) converts the power from AC to DC and from high voltage to low voltage. Most drivers should offer a 50,000 hour or higher life span.  Other important driver functions to look for include surge protection and very low flicker levels.  Inexpensive drivers will not last as long nor deliver flicker-free light.
  • Accessibility and ease of replacing the driver- the life span of the driver is typically less than that of the LEDs so replacement of the driver after failure, e.g. at 50,000 hours of operation, can prolong the life of the LED fixture. The ease of replacing a driver is particularly important with street and parking lot light fixtures.
  • Beam angle- the beam angle of an LED fixture is very controllable and able to be optimized for specific situations, e.g. warehouse isles. The natural beam angle of an LED light is typically 120 degrees, and fixtures are available from a very narrow 5 degree beam angle to bulbs designed with 360 degree beam angle.
  • Color Rendering Index (CRI)- CRI ratings indicate the effectiveness of the LED in rendering color and is higher in most LED lighting than traditional lighting. CRI is important for human vision and perception, and is critical in applications such as art galleries.
  • Dimming- Unlike many traditional light fixtures that either do not dim at all (HID and fluorescents) or dim poorly (CFLs), LED lighting offers smooth dimming dependent on the driver.
  • Controls- LED offers a wider range of control methods including wireless control of dimming and Kelvin temperature.  Dimming can be controlled manually or automatically based on input from daylight sensors.