Incandescent vs. LED Lighting

May 26, 2009 - PRLog -- Anyone in the modern world is looking for several things from a light bulb. They are looking for a good quality light, low energy consumption, efficiency and low cost. Now, not all of these things can be found in a single lighting source, but if concerns about the environment as well as budgetary issues predominant, then LED is the way to go.

Interestingly, even many light bulb manufacturers consider incandescent bulbs to be “dinosaurs” because of their short life spans, fragility and need for constant replacement. Where they tend to exceed the capability of the LED lights are in their diffusion. An LED is a very direct source of light, which means applying it to household lamps or indoor fixtures is not such a good idea…yet.

If the history of the LED has demonstrated anything, it is that the superiority of the bulbs has inspired many different industries to seek how to use the lights in as many ways as possible. Today it isn’t just electronic signs and vehicle signals that rely upon LED, but also solar lighting fixtures of all kinds, holiday lighting and even many flashlights use LED bulbs.

So, what makes these two lights so dramatically different? They are not at all similar in their design or manufacture. Where an incandescent uses a current to pass through a filament which then glows white hot and radiates light, an LED (light emitting diode) radiates light when electrons pass through its semiconductor. Sure, that is a bit complicated, but the thing to remember is that an LED makes little to no heat, can sustain a blow without damage, operates for roughly one hundred thousand hours to the incandescent’s two thousand and is insusceptible to damage from cold, weather, and frequent use.

While this sort of reliability and efficiency makes them highly desirable to consumers who put them to use in their homes and businesses, it must not be forgotten that they are also among the “greenest” lighting options available as well. As landfills continue to receive tens of thousands of burnt out glass bulbs each and every day, they will not receive LED bulbs for decades, if then at all.

Incandescent bulbs are generally considered to be in their “final days” and will probably be phased out altogether within the next decade. Today an LED bulb can already be found in a children’s toy, flashlight, computer, vehicle, Christmas light, Exit sign and hundreds of other locations. They will continue to be used in more products and places as technology finds a way to incorporate them.

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