Keys to Choose LED Lighting for Your Home
The advantages of LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamps over traditional lamps are beyond doubt. Even more so considering that starting next January, the remaining stock of the popular 60-watt light bulbs will be sold and they will no longer be manufactured. The message that, in spite of being more expensive, LEDs use 80% less energy than traditional bulbs – in three years the LED is amortized and still has 20 years of useful life – has gone deep.
However, under this generic name there are several factors to which we must pay attention when we buy this type of light bulb, which go not only from the quality of the diode itself, but also to its electronics, the connection between the LED and the rest of electronic components, the heat sink, or its own base, among others.
And that is from the consumer side, there is still a lot of ignorance of this technology. For example, the mark of the diode is not the same as of the lamp. In this sense and as a general rule, it is preferable that the diode is manufactured Korean, Japanese or American, trying to avoid the Taiwanese or Chinese. In addition, we should always look at the type of LED we are acquiring, since if they are of the SMD 0.5 type it is advisable to look for an alternative, since those are the oldest; on the contrary, the most optimal are the SMD 3528, 3060 and 5060 or the LED type COB.
Another question that we always have to ask when choosing these lamps is how much light we need and what color. Before the first question, a very indicative test is to compare the reading of the newspaper with different types of lamps until finding the one that best suits our needs.
Regarding the light, the bluish colors are not the most ideal, since some manufacturers use them to compensate the efficiency. The color temperature should move between 2700 and 3200 K to ensure a warm light with a minimum output of 80 (this is the one that will be required at least in the European Union).
In this same line, optical opening is another factor that does not always pay due attention and that will definitely mark the Lighting Stores Australia of our home. The apertures that provide better lighting are those that move in the fork of 30 and 40 degrees, since if they are between 20 and 25 degrees, the LED will only give light on the axis.
Finally and although they may seem more technical aspects, the choice of heat sink is also important. The most recommended material is aluminum, with fins and solid. Why is this point so important? Because it determines to a large extent the useful life of the lamp, since it directly influences the temperature at which it operates. Remember, it must never exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it is always better to discard materials such as plastic or calamine.
It is advisable to pay attention to the spotlights marked with the Energy Star seal, the government program that supports companies, helping them to protect the environment using energy efficiently.
