LED Lights Vs. Incandescents
LED bulbs and incandescent bulbs can be used in a variety of light fixtures. Both types of bulbs have their advantages and disadvantages, including cost, power usage and life span. Various factors affect the decision to use LED vs. incandescent lightbulbs. Does this Spark an idea?
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Identification
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LEDs or light-emitting diodes are small bulbs that light up when powered. Some bulb setups feature one individual diode while others have an array of multiple diodes.
Incandescent bulbs are the traditional-looking bulbs that contain a metal filament in the middle that heats up when powered. The heat causes the filament to light up, and incandescent bulbs may contain a mixture of gasses to amplify the light.
Power Consumption
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LED bulbs use far less energy than incandescent bulbs. A standard 60-watt incandescent bulb uses 60 watts of power while an LED that can produce a similar amount of light uses just 6 watts of power. Over a bulb's life span, an LED bulb uses 360 kilowatt hours of electricity over 60,000 hours. A lamp using incandescent bulbs would use around 3,600 kilowatt hours of electricity over 60,000 hours of use.
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Life Span
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A traditional incandescent lightbulb can last for about 1,500 hours of usage while an LED light bulb can last 60,000 hours. You would have to replace an incandescent bulb about 40 times to equal the life span of a single LED lightbulb, according to ProductDose.com.
Lighting
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Incandescent bulbs are ideal for lighting rooms and large areas while LED lights are useful for directional lights, focusing bright light on one small area. This is one instance where incandescent bulbs may have an advantage over LED bulbs when it comes to useful lighting.
Cost
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Incandescent bulbs are the cheapest type of light when considering the purchase cost of each bulb. LED bulbs can cost more than $100 dollars for one bulb, according to the website The Simple Dollar. However, keep in mind that an average incandescent bulb will need to be replaced about 40 times for every one time that an LED bulb is replaced.
Considerations
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Another type of bulb known as a CFL or compact fluorescent light falls in between incandescent and LED bulbs in a number of ways. CFL bulbs cost more than incandescent bulbs but less than LED lights. CFL bulbs use more energy and have a shorter life span than LED bulbs, lasting about 10,00 hours and using around 14 watts of energy. But this is still far longer and more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs.
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