LED lamps: features, advantages, calculation of lighting power
LED bulbs are designed in such a way that they can easily replace "classic" analogs in any base. However, unlike standard incandescent lamps and fluorescent lights, LED lamps consume less power. Creating lighting with their help will help to reduce electricity bills several times.
Contents
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Advantages and features of LED devices
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Power and other characteristics
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How to calculate the lighting power for the home
Initially, LED lamps were used as a decorative design. With their help, landscape and building illumination was created, individual zones were updated indoors. But as operational experience accumulated, new LED lighting moved from the field of aesthetic application to the field of practical use. Such success is associated with the unique properties of these light sources and the advantages of their use.
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Advantages and features of LED devices
The popularity of LED bulbs is due to:
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Directed light flux. Due to this, such lamps are effective in rooms with high ceilings. A conventional incandescent lamp scatters light, which weakens with increasing distance to the floor. Therefore, in such a room it is necessary to use a chandelier with 3 or more light sources. If you install an LED lighting device, then one or two bulbs with a downward beam of light will cope with the same task in terms of illumination;
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Multiple savings, which are achieved not only by reducing the number of lighting devices, but also by low consumption of electrical energy by LEDs. The multiple difference in comparison with classic incandescent lighting devices is 8 times. It turns out that one 15 W LED lamp can replace a conventional 100 W and even 120 W one. There is a developed table of the ratio of power in Watts or Lumens (lm) between energy-saving LED lamps and other alternatives, including fluorescent or halogen;
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Reduced heat generation and low starting currents. Due to reduced power consumption, the products heat up less and are not exposed to high temperatures. This reduces wear on the bulbs, extending their service life. Also, when turned on, the device does not require high voltage, which the filaments often cannot withstand, which is why classic bulbs burn out and even explode, leading to a short circuit. By the way, due to this, LEDs are installed in plastic stretch and suspended ceilings, and easily contact wooden structures;
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Service life, which is at least 50,000 hours. Even as the main lighting in the house, such lighting elements can last for decades;
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Quality of light, the parameters of which remain the same and do not change with power surges (flickering effect);
- An expanded range. You can choose bulbs with different bases for any type of lighting fixtures, including those placed outdoors. You can also choose the color value: “cold” or “warm” glow.
However, when choosing LEDs, you should remember that they:
- are more expensive than other analogues, so before buying you should think about the payback indicator in relation to the operating time;
- are larger than conventional bulbs, which is why there may be more lampshades;
- are not compatible with dimmers - switch backlights. Weak current leads to constant glow of the bulbs.
Power and other characteristics
- Power is often calculated in watt (W) in the description of LED lamps. However, this rather indicates the power consumption, and not the light power. According to the new technology, different products with the same value in W have different luminous intensity. It all depends on the number of LEDs in the set - from 12 to 76 or more. This is like incandescent lamps, when one 100 W lamp shines less brightly than two 100W lamps. Therefore, manufacturers increasingly indicate the luminous flux in lumens (Lm), which more accurately determines the quality of lighting.
- Luminous flux is a parameter containing data on the amount of emitted light and indicating how efficiently the device uses the consumed energy resources.
- Color rendering concerns the transmitted shades of glow. Unlike other analogues, the color brightness of LEDs is softer, which does not irritate the organs of vision at all.
- Scattering angle - in the range from 60° to 340°. LEDs enclosed in bulbs are distinguished by a narrowly focused light beam. The so-called corn bulbs spread light around themselves.
- The nominal voltage indicates the power current that the lamp requires - 12, 24, 110 or 220 V.
How to calculate the lighting power for your home
If you decide to replace your old bulbs with more modern and economical lighting, then first calculate the required power of the light sources.
A simple formula allows you to determine this:
1 lx (illumination) = 1 lm (luminous flux of the lamp) x 1 m² (area of the room)
Building codes and regulations establish the degree of illumination of the room depending on its purpose. We divide this ready-made coefficient by the area of the room and get the result with the luminous flux data. To achieve this, the necessary bulbs are selected.
Expert advice: mathematical calculations do not take into account certain nuances regarding the preferences of residents, zoning of the room or the purpose of lighting - auxiliary or main. This can lead to significant differences, for example, light is needed to illuminate a room or create some kind of designer image with the help of backlighting. The difference also concerns one's own attitude to comfort: some people like dim light, while others need to ensure a rich light flux.
Also, lamp manufacturers offer various designs that differ in the number of lampshades and direction vector.
To summarize, we can say that LED lamps are simple and have virtually no drawbacks:
- with their help, you can significantly reduce household and utility costs;
- they provide high-quality lighting;
- are safe and durable products, and also erase any boundaries for creative imagination.