Is it possible to save on electricity if you use LED lamps

More recently, LEDs were used only as indicators for various instruments and equipment. They were not used for lighting, because the power was too low. Currently, designs have been developed that can illuminate large areas and give a powerful luminous flux. Profitability, durability and low heating during operation caused great interest and demand among users.

The properties of LED lamps used to illuminate a home have both positive and negative sides. In order to be able to confidently navigate in a wide range of models available on store shelves, it is necessary to have a sufficient idea of ​​the device and the principle of operation of these lighting devices.

What is a LED lamp, the principle of operation

Household LED, or LED lamps (from the English Light-Emitting Diode) are devices with a complex design. Despite the fact that in appearance they look like familiar incandescent bulbs, the principle of operation is completely different. They should not be confused with energy-saving (or CFL compact fluorescent lamps), these are completely different devices both in terms of operation and efficiency. The LED lamp circuitry demonstrates a complex and electronic-rich device.

The LED lamp layout consists of many parts

The circuit from the SEA Electronics luminaire is demonstrated, but this option is not the only one. Each manufacturer seeks to improve the design by introducing additional elements into the circuit that change the operating parameters of the device. For example, until recently, a serious drawback was the absence in the spectrum of LED lamps of the wavelength to which the pupil of the eye reacts (about 480 Nm). A person could look at the lamp for a long time without feeling any inconvenience. It was believed that light does not harm the organs of vision at all. At the same time, there was a harmful effect on the retina and lens, which received an excess and often traumatic effect of blue light. This has been taken into account by manufacturers, and today's designs are adapted to the spectrum of human vision.

Lama consists of several elements

The design consists of a base for a standard cartridge (there are models for all the most common types of base), a plastic or metal case, a diffuser made of matte translucent plastic. Inside the case is all the electronics, a power driver (a device matching the voltage in the network with the necessary values ​​for the circuit), a disk with installed LEDs.Despite the complexity of the design, manufacturers declare up to 10 years of use for their products, although in practice the operating time is about 11,000 hours, i.e. approximately 3.5–4 years, depending on the duration of work during the day.

To use the LED strip, you must select the appropriate transformer. The following material will help you choose a power source:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/ehlektrosnabzhenie/transformator-dlya-svetodiodnoy-lentyi-12-volt.html

The advantages of LED lamps include:

• low power consumption. To shine just like a 100-watt incandescent lamp, an LED lamp requires only 10 watts of energy;
• lack of ultraviolet radiation in the spectrum. Tissues do not fade, there is no danger of damage to the retina, etc.
• during operation, the lamps almost do not heat up;
• long service life;
• environmentally friendly, do not contain mercury;
• lightweight, shockproof;
• warming up occurs within 1 second.

The disadvantages of LED lamps are:

• high price;
• some users have estimated that LED lamps have an unpleasant spectrum.

Regarding the shortcomings, it can be noted that the prices of LED lamps are noticeably reduced, since the moment of their appearance, the cost has almost halved. The spectrum of the glow is a matter of either the user's personal preferences or the wrong choice of the lamp model.

You can make an LED lamp by independently studying the following material:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/ehlektrosnabzhenie/svetodiodnaya-lampa-svoimi-rukami-na-220v.html

Criteria for choosing LED lamps for the home

Let us consider in detail what selection criteria exist for LED lamps, what should be paid attention to first of all, and what values ​​should be considered the most acceptable.

According to technical parameters

• Power and light output. The power parameters of LED lamps differ significantly from the usual values. The power level of an ordinary bulb of 60 watts can correspond to 6-10 watts for LED lamps. In order to facilitate the choice and somehow orient the buyer, manufacturers indicate the equivalent in power on the package (for example, power 6 watts, shines like an incandescent lamp of 60 watts). But there is a catch here, since such an equivalent may turn out to be incorrect, overpriced. It is recommended to consider the luminous flux as a decisive criterion. It is measured in lumens (lm) and corresponds to the power of a conventional bulb with a coefficient of 10. That is, if you want to purchase an LED lamp with a brightness corresponding to 100 W, you need to look for a sample with a luminous flux of 1,000 lm. This value quite correctly reflects the real brightness of the lamp.

LED lamp life is longer than incandescent or energy-saving

• Type of cap. When choosing an LED lamp, you need to know which cartridges are installed in the chandeliers or other lighting fixtures of a house or apartment. There are samples with all the most common types of cap, but most often it is type E27 (common thread like incandescent lamps) or E14 (a smaller version, it is usually called a "small base" in stores). Imported chandeliers can have other base sizes (for example, GU10 or GU5,3), which should be borne in mind. Just in case, when going to the store, you need to take one of the lamps installed in the lamps with you, or precisely determine the type of base so that you do not have to run and exchange the purchased lamps.
• Colour temperature. There is a concept - the color temperature of the lamp. It is indicated in Kelvin (K). The lower the temperature, the more the spectrum is shifted toward red radiation. High temperature indicates a tendency toward the blue part of the spectrum. On the packages of LED lamps, the color temperature is always indicated and an approximate interpretation of the value is given, for example, 200 K (warm white light). The closest to the usual light of incandescent lamps is the temperature of 3,000 K. When choosing an LED lamp, you need to correctly imagine the part of the spectrum that this device gives out in order to get the most pleasant shade for yourself. There is no point in giving any advice in this area. Each is guided by their own feelings, but for this it is necessary that a person already has at least some experience. If you had to deal with LED lamps before, you can recommend focusing on a value of 3,000 K.This is a fairly soft yellowish light, typical of incandescent lamps with a power of about 40-60 watts. A color temperature of more than 3,000 K changes the light to a sharper, white, gradually turning into a blue tint (in the region of 6,000 K). Less than 3,000 K is a more yellow, soft, but dim light.
  

  Pay attention to the color temperature settings on the package.

• Dispersion angle. Another name for this parameter is the divergence angle. The LED emits a narrow band of light. In order for the lamp to have a large divergence of the light beam, individual LEDs are installed at different angles, and optical methods are used to distribute the light flux at an angle around the source. The scattering angle is the size of the sector in which the illumination value does not decrease below half of the maximum. The angle is indicated on the package, it largely depends on the shape of the lamp - the larger the sphere, the wider the angle of dispersion. For most samples, this parameter is not so important, since light is reflected from the walls, ceiling, and surrounding objects, which significantly increases the scattering angle.
• Work life and service life. This parameter is measured in hours. The value shows how long the lamp works before its luminescence drops to 70% of the initial state. That is, the specified working resource does not display the full service life, but only corresponds to the maximum glow time. Moreover, practice shows that in reality fixtures often fail much earlier. This usually happens with products from little-known manufacturers originally from Southeast Asia. In any case, the life of LED lamps is very long and quite consistent with their cost.
• Compatible with dimmer. LED lamps have the ability to work in conjunction with dimmer - a device that controls the brightness of the glow by changing the supply voltage. At the same time, not all lamps have such an opportunity, but only those equipped with a specialized driver model. On the packaging of such devices there is a special designation, which may look different. The cost of lamps adapted to work with a dimmer is higher than usual by about 30%.
  

  Dimmer allows you to adjust the brightness of the glow

• Extra options. Often, manufacturers indicate various additional parameters that are not of fundamental importance to the user, but give the product some significance. So, the weight of the lamps, often indicated on the package, is hardly important for anyone, since in any case it cannot have an excessively high value. The same applies to the number of turns on - this parameter, relevant for incandescent lamps, is completely indifferent to LED lamps that can turn on / off as many times as necessary. Often there is such a parameter as light efficiency. This is the number of lumens of luminescence per watt of power, a value that relates the luminous flux to the lamp power.

LED tapes are perfect for arranging decorative lighting both in a private house and in an apartment. You can read more about the design features of this backlight here:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/ehlektrosnabzhenie/dekorativnoe-osveshhenie-zagorodnogo-doma.html

By manufacturer and cost

The approach to choosing LED lamps from the standpoint of their cost, quality and manufacturer at first glance looks somewhat one-sided. Nevertheless, there is a rational grain in it, since these indicators indirectly reflect the working and operational characteristics of the fixtures and may well serve as selection criteria.

Important! Speaking about the quality of LED luminaires, it must be understood that this refers to the degree of conformity of the parameters declared by the manufacturer with the real properties of the products, as well as the duration of this correspondence.It is incorrect to approach a question with a different understanding, since you will have to compare devices that are different in their characteristics.

Top quality lamps

According to experts and users, the leader among Western manufacturers is the Dutch company Philips. German Osram and BIOLEDEX are slightly behind her. These companies are rightfully leading in the production of household LED lamps and offer a wide range of products with various operating parameters. The concept of “quality” means stability, equally high operational and technical indicators for all units of the manufactured goods, which fully applies to the products of these companies. At the same time, prices for fixtures of these companies are much higher than for products of other manufacturers.
Among Russian manufacturers, the firms Gauss, Optogan and Svetlana Optoelectronics stand out. Domestic manufacturers appeared on the market later than the western ones, but were able to occupy their niche and gain well-deserved popularity, offering quite high-quality products at affordable prices.

Also on the market there are many samples from Chinese manufacturers. Well established companies are Selesta, Camelion and Estares. Their products are certified and fully comply with all requirements and standards.

Optimum price-quality ratio

This approach seems most reasonable. If you prefer the highest quality samples, you will have to pay a considerable amount for them. Most users prefer to choose the middle ground, getting the most for their money. At the same time, choosing a lamp, guided by this criterion, is perhaps the most difficult, since you have to contrast a price with a large number of parameters and characteristics. A table will help clarify the situation, clearly demonstrating the conformity of the declared and actual characteristics of LED mid-range lamps.

The table shows the lamps in the ratio of "price-quality" from different manufacturers

It must be borne in mind that the tests were carried out on unknown equipment, therefore these tables should be considered as a good example of differences in the properties of products from different manufacturers. These prices are considered approximate, in different regions they can vary significantly.

The cheapest

It is not advisable to recommend such an approach, since low prices are usually set on products of unknown Chinese firms. The purchase of such lamps is a pure lottery, as they rarely correspond to the declared parameters. The service life of such samples ranges from a few days to several years - how lucky. An attempt to save money in this case leads to the acquisition of a device that has parameters that very approximately correspond to the characteristics indicated on the package.

LED lamps provide significant energy savings, do not heat the wiring, have a long service life and other useful qualities. They significantly exceed the old incandescent lamps, noticeably overtake energy-saving lamps. The main disadvantage is high prices, although there is a tendency towards their gradual decrease. The main task of the buyer is to choose the most suitable model correctly, for which you need to have a fairly clear idea of ​​the parameters and properties of LED lamps. If a competent choice was made during the purchase, then the user's problems with lighting will be solved in an optimal way for many years.