Home > News > Why LED Lights Are Better Alternatives to CFL and Incandescent Lights

Why LED Lights Are Better Alternatives to CFL and Incandescent Lights

Why LED Lights are better alternatives to CFL and incandescent lights? Let’s compare LED Lights, CFL and Incandescent Lights of the advantages and disadvantages.

If you are looking for ways to economize on your energy expenses and at the same time doing your bit for keeping things eco-friendly, a few options might have come your way. The first and most obvious was the replacement of regular, incandescent light bulbs with eco-friendly ones. On the chapter of eco-friendly light bulbs you have heard names like LED Lights or CFL, but what is the real difference between all the aforementioned products and why is one better than the other?

Incandescent light sources are the classical light sources everyone is, or has been, up until a few years ago, accustomed with. They are made of thin metal filaments, which, when crossed by electric current emanate light and heat. While lighting is not the only use of the incandescent mechanism, it is the most widespread. This type of lighting has been condemned for the massive amount of energy it requires for functioning.

CFL or compact fluorescent light was proposed as an alternative to incandescent light because of the fact that it uses far less energy than an incandescent light bulb while offering the same amount of light in kitchen lighting and bathroom lighting. The CFL will save money on your electricity bill and also have a far lower greenhouse gas emission than regular light bulbs. Unfortunately, while representing a huge step up from incandescent lighting, the CFL cause another problem, which is, disposability. CFL are known to contain mercury, which means that they need to be disposed of in special recycling containers on one hand, and on the other, that during recycling the mercury and other pollutants would get released into the atmosphere. New generation CFLs are produced with a minimal amount of mercury in their composition, none the less the problem, albeit minimized, still exists. When compared to incandescent bulbs, CFLs are approximately four times as efficient; a 25 Watt CFL will have the same light output as a 100 Watt incandescent. They also last up to 10 times longer, meaning that over the life of a standard CFL, you would expect to have used 10 incandescent bulbs. Unlike a regular fluorescent light, a CFL gives off light that looks just like a standard incandescent.

LED lights, or light emitting diodes lights seem to be the light source of the future. They combine the low energy usage of the CFL with good disposability. Since they don’t contain any dangerous material, they are far more easily disposed of and recycled without a high danger of pollution. Even though LED technology has existed for a while, they have only gained popularity in recent years, when the technique has been perfected and when the interest in LED’s amazing green attributes have started being exploited. It is quite certain that LED lighting will replace most of the other light sources in the future, and it is only natural that it be so, since the low energy consumption and the low pollutant potential truly recommend it as the light source of the future. A LED light bulb will generally last approximately 100 times as long as an incandescent; meaning that over the life of a standard LED light bulb, you would expect to have used 100 incandescent bulbs! When compared to incandescent bulbs, LEDs are approximately six times as efficient; in simplest terms a 16 Watt LED style bulb will have the same light output as a 100 Watt incandescent.

If you are interested in going green with your lighting utilities, your best bet would be LED lighting.