Save Energy, Live Green:Replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lights

March 23, 2011 - PRLog -- LED lights are getting more and more popular. Currently LEDs are too expensive to use very house. Conventional lights have been banned in many countries and states, for the disadvantages of mercury, energy consumption. LEDs are commercially used world wide, the main product is T8 T10 Fluorescent tubes. What is a LED Fluorescent Tube?
“LED fluorescent tube” is a misnomer. LED lights and fluorescent lights are completely different technologies. LEDs are very small bulbs illuminated by movement of electrons in a diode. Fluorescent bulbs use electrodes and a gas combination of argon and mercury to produce light. So the name “LED fluorescent tube” really refers to an LED tube that reminds us of traditional fluorescent tubes (likely above your head as you read this).

LED lights should also not be confused with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFLs use the same tecnology as fluorescent tubes to produce light, but on a smaller scale. They are a replacement for the incandescent bulbs commonly found in most home light fixtures. CFLs have garnered a lot of press because of their energy efficiency and environmental benefits (i.e. they use less power).

An LED tube is made up of hundreds of individual LEDs. They come in a variety of sizes (2, 4 or 6 feet), different temperatures (i.e. different colors of light) and varying arrays of LEDs. They can be purchased with new fixtures, or used for retrofitting existing fixtures. But keep in mind, they don’t require ballasts, so those will need to be removed when replacing fluorescent bulbs.

When comparing LEDs to fluorescent tubes, here are four key specifications you should review:

Lumens – This is the unit of measurement for strength of light. Look for tubes with 1500 lumens or more.
Watts – This is a unit of measurement for power consumption. Four foot LED tubes typically use 15 to 25 watts, while fluorescent tubes use more than 30 watts.
Lifespan – This is how long the bulb will last. It’s measured in hours. 50,000 hours is common for LED tubes.
Color temperature – The temperature of the light is the color of the light. It is measured in units of absolute temperature, or Kelvin (K). 3000K is considered warm (redder), 4100K is considered neutral, and 5800 K is cool (bluer).

Hopefully, the LEDs can be cheaper in the future, and can go every family.

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Lightsky is a professional manufacturer of LED lights in China. Cooperated with SHANGHAI ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, we have perfect R&D stuff in LED lights. Our main products: LED down lights, LED tube light, LED rigid bars, LED wall washers....