What is LED Lighting?

Nowadays, LED lighting is the most common lighting type on the market. In an average hardware store or lighting shop, most of the lamps are LED, and at Qub, we only sell LED lamps. Sometimes, you might almost forget that LED lighting is a relatively new technological development. But what exactly is LED lighting, and how does it work?

How Does LED Lighting Work?

LED stands for LightEmittingDiode. This type of lighting works very differently from conventional lighting. In an incandescent bulb, electricity is simply passed through a filament, causing it to heat up and emit light. The downside of this method is that a lot of energy is lost as heat. LED lighting works using charged and uncharged particles. When a negatively charged particle (an electron) comes into contact with a positively charged particle, the electron loses energy. This energy is emitted in the form of a photon, and these photons form the light beam.

How Long Does LED Lighting Last?

Incandescent bulbs typically need to be replaced when the filament burns out. This is not the case with LED lamps, as they do not contain a filament. The lifespan of an LED lamp depends on various factors. Different types of LED lamps have different lifespans. For reference, LED lamps last around 15,000 to 100,000 hours. This is a significant improvement over conventional lighting: the best energy-saving bulbs last around 20,000 hours, halogen bulbs last only about 4,000 hours, and incandescent bulbs last just 1,000 hours! As a result, you need to replace LED lamps much lessfrequently, making them a goodinvestment for the long term.

What Are the Advantages of LED Lighting?

In addition to their long lifespan, switching to LED lamps offers even more advantages. For example, LED lamps contain notoxicsubstances, unlike fluorescent tubes or energy-saving bulbs. Additionally, LED lighting is much more sustainable than conventional lighting, allowing you to save a significant amount of electricity in the long run. A typical LED lamp is up to 90% more efficient than conventional lighting! Since an LED lamp saves so much power, it is also much better for the environment. LED lamps are also fully recyclable. Therefore, never throw LED lamps in regular waste; instead, take them to a recycling point near you.

Can I Dim LED Lighting?

Yes, you can! However, dimming LED lighting works a bit differently than dimming conventional lighting. You will need a special LEDdimmer. While conventional lighting is typically dimmed using phase-cutting, most dimmable LED lamps work using phase-cut-off. If you use the wrong dimmer, your LED lamp will flicker and may break down very quickly. Be sure to check what type of dimmer you need beforehand! Not sure if your lamp is compatible with the dimmer in your home? Feel free to contact us for advice!

Curious about the LED lamps we have in our range? Take a quick look at our webshop!