FAQ
-
What is an LED?
-
Where have LEDs been used in the lighting industry?
-
What are the advantages to using LED lights?
-
Can I use LED lamps to replace my existing lamps?
-
Why do colors look more vibrant under LED light?
-
What is the average life of an LED lamp?
-
How long is 50,000 hours
-
How do you evaluate LED products?
-
How does ambient temperature affect LED efficiency
-
Why Does Thermal Management Matter?
-
Do I have to replace LED diodes?
-
Why is the life span of an LED measured as lumen depreciation
What is an LED?
LED is the common abbreviation for a light-emitting diode. Each individual LED consists of a semiconductor diode that emits light when a voltage is applied to it. The electronics industry has used LED technology for several decades as indicator lights for various electronic devices. In more recent years, LED technology has progressed to the point where it is viable for general lighting applications.
Where have LEDs been used in the lighting industry so far?
LEDs are commonly used in aesthetic, effect, or specialty lighting applications, including architectural highlighting. Most traffic lights and exit signs, for example, now use red, green or blue LEDs.
What are the advantages to using LED lights?
LEDs bring several advantages to the lighting industry, including high efficiency and durability, and, with superior life over other lamp sources, their required maintenance is greatly reduced. This translates into energy savings, maintenance savings and an overall reduction in cost of ownership over the product's lifetime.
LED lighting is safe, environmentally friendly and contains no toxic mercury or lead which can pollute the earth during recycling.With LED lamps, there is no compromise. You can have safe, affordable, beautiful lighting that makes a positive difference.
- Consumes 85% less energy than incandescents
- Consumes 50% less energy than fluorescents
- Fewer greenhouse gas emission
- Fewer Power Plants need to be built
- Longer life ratings (>50,000 Hrs) for less waste
- Daylight harvesting capabilities
- Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHs) compliant
- No MERCURY or LEAD is used
- No Infra Red Radiation
- No Ultra Violet Radiation
- No electronic interference.
Can I use LED lamps to replace my existing lamps?
Most definately you can! Questar now brings you a full range of LED lamps designed to replace your existing inefficient lamps without any changes to the current fixture. Our range conists of the following types of lamps:
- Spotlights
- Downlights
- Track lights
- Floodlights
- T8 and T5 Tubes replacements for Fluroscents.
- Canopy Lighting
- LED Strips and more...
Why do colors look more vibrant under LED light?
LEDs illuminates people and surroundings in color-rich light.It's not your imagination – it's science. Our LED lights do look more natural than CFLsas they have a higher color rendering, so everything under them looks more vibrant and lifelike.
Choose warm or cool lighting. Warm lighting gives a traditional and luxurious feeling that homeowners have come to expect. Cool lighting creates an effective work environment or brings a contemporary look to a home withouth the hotspots or glare. You can now experience all the benefits of incandescent lighting, without high energy costs or environmental impact.
What is the average life of an LED lamp?
LED lamps on average have a life span of greater than 50,000 hours. This means that they last 50 times longer than incandescent light bulbs and 12 times longer than fluroscent bulbs or tubes.
Based on how long a fixture is illuminated per day, here's what 50,000 works out to:
- 24 hours a day 5.7 years
- 18 hours per day 7.4 years
- 12 hours per day 11.4 years
- 08 hours per day 17.1 year
How do you evaluate LED products?
Lumen output is only part of the story and can be misleading. To fully evaluate an LED product one needs to review the overall system efficiency, optical control, thermal management of the LEDs, and know at what point in time the fixture will reach 30 percent lumen depreciation. Products with good optical efficiency and thermal management will be able to deliver more lumens, on average, than traditional HID products.
As the Department of Energy concluded in its Solid-State Lighting Commercial Product Testing Program:
"Until the field of SSL technologies and supporting knowledge matures, any claims regarding performance of SSL luminaires should be based on overall luminaire efficacy (i.e., from testing of the entire luminaire, including LEDs, drivers, heat sinks, optical lenses and housing), to avoid misleading buyers and causing long-term damage to the SSL market."
How does ambient temperature affect LED efficiency?
LED fixtures must be designed with junction temperature thermal management as a key component and use the correct LEDs. These products will then be robust enough to operate in most ambient temperature applications. Unlike fluorescent sources, cold temperatures do not impact the performance of LEDs.
The Department of Energy advises: "Heat management and an awareness of the operating environment are critical considerations to the design and application of LED luminaires for general illumination. Successful products will use superior heat sink designs to dissipate heat, and minimize junction temperature. Keeping the junction temperature as low as possible and within manufacturer specifications is necessary in order to maximize the performance potential of LEDs."
Why Does Thermal Management Matter?
To maintain the extended life of the fixture, LEDs need to shed heat that builds inside the fixture. A low junction temperature is key to effective thermal management. The heat pipe assembly contains heat pipes that move heat away from the LEDs and the circuit board quickly and effectively. Our LED lamps uses airflow convection to release warmer air away and circulate cooler air to the LEDs and through the fixture. Through this effective thermal management design, the fixture is guaranteed to operate at the proper temperatures.
[Source: DOE http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/general_illumination_thermal_matter.htm]
Do I have to replace LED diodes?
An LED does not burn out like a standard lamp, so individual diodes do not need to be replaced. Instead, the diodes gradually produce lower output levels over a very long period of time. If one LED fails, it does not produce a complete fixture outage.
Why is the life span of an LED measured as lumen depreciation?
The lifespan of an LED is vastly longer than that of incandescent, fluorescent or HID lamp sources, generally lasting 50,000 hours or longer. Although the LED never really burns out, product lifespan is measured by lumen depreciation.
The Illuminating Engineering Society's (IES) current standard for calculating the life of an LED as the point at which the LED reaches 30 percent lumen depreciation. Remember, a 50,000-hour rating is not equivalent to lamp life rating. LED life is rated where it has reached 30 percent lumen depreciation. At 50,000 hours an LED would still be operating, but at a decreased lumen output.