Q. Are LED or compact fluorescent lights more efficient?
A. All of our LED lights are more than twice as efficient as a Compact fluorescent. Focused LEDs seem even more efficient than they are because the light does not spread out.....this is why a measly 3 watt track light (MR16) will give a surprising amount of light, enough to read by or to work at a kitchen counter. Our LEDs are almost 9 times more efficient than an incandescent light.
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of LED’s and compact fluorescent light bulbs?
A. Both compact fluorescent lights and LED’s have a longer life and much better efficiency than incandescent or halogen lights. LED lights are more expensive than compact fluorescent lights for the same lumens, but LED lights will last at least 5 times longer. All fluorescent lights are slow to start and slow to give full brightness in the cold and if it is too cold, they will not start at all. and might die trying to start. If you want a light for generally lighting an area (not focused) a compact fluorescent light or a bulbed LED is the best choice. LED lights start immediately in the cold and are immediately at full brightness. The efficiency of an LED light increases in the cold so they are the best choice for outdoor lights in cold areas. The LED light has no limit to ON OFF cycles so it is the best choice in bathrooms or pantries, where the light may be turned on and off many times a day.
Q. What is the difference in lifetime between LEDs and compact fluorescents?
A. Led’s have an average lifespan at least 5 times and up to 10 times the life of compact fluorescents.
Q. Why use LED lights when compact fluorescent lights are much less expensive?
A. The life of an LED light will be at least 5 times and can be up to 10 times that of a compact fluorescent light. Since you would have to buy at least 5 compact fluorescents over the lifetime of one LED light the LED is actually about the same cost for a time period. If yiou are on the grid Led lights are actually less expensive than compact fluorescent lights because the electricity cost will be less than half for the same amount of light. If you are off the grid and on a solar system, you can size your solar system smaller.
Q. Why use 12 or 24 volt DC lamps when I have an inverter that allows me to operate 120 volt AC lamps?
A. In most cases, you will be lucky to get 50% efficiency from your inverter if only operating a few lights. For example most pure sign wave inverters use 15 to 20 watts to just run the inverteri. Imagine if you are sitting around on a long winter evening and you have turned on a couple of 5 or 7 watt LEDs for general lighting plus 3 or 4 LED track lights at 3 watts each. Your inverter would be using about 40 watts to supply about 20 watts of lighting. If you are building a new house or cabin, it is best to run seperate 12 or 24 volt lighting circuits so your inverter can be in sleep mode when all you have on is lights. In most cases normal house wire can be used for these circuits because the LED lights use so few amps.
Q. Why are 12 or 24 volt DC CFLs more expensive than 120 volt AC CFLs?
A. There is an inverter in each 12 or 24 volt DC CFL which is matched to that CFL so the efficiency is very high but the inverter makes the cost more that a 120 volt AC CFL.
Q. Does the power consumed by the lights change with temperature?
A. LED lights draw a little less power when cold, compact fluorescent lights change very little.
Q. Which colour lamp is best for tasks and reading and which colour is best for dining or just relaxing?
A. The daylight lights are best for tasks and reading or where you want to be able to see true colours. The soft white are preferable where a soft warm light is needed, such as dining or general relaxing. The soft white lamps are similar in colour to an incandescent light.
Q. What is colour temperature?
A. The kelvin unit is the basis of all temperature measurement, starting with 0 K equals (minus 273.16° C) at the absolute zero temperature. Technically, color temperature refers to the temperature to which one would have to heat a theoretical "black body" source to produce light of the same visual color.
Some typical color temperatures are:
1500 K - Candlelight
2680 K - 40W Incandescent Lamp
3000 K - 200W Incandescent Lamp
3200 K - Sunrise/Sunset
3400 K – Tungsten Lamp
3400 K – 1 hour before dusk
5000 K – Xenon Lamp/light arc
5500 K – Electronic photo flash
7000 K – Sunny Daylight
