Are LEDs more efficient than other light sources such as incandescent and fluorescent types?
LEDs are used more and more as incandescent light replacements. Their are at least 4 possible advantages to using LEDs compared to incandescent sources: a) longer lifetime, i.e., years rather than months of service, b) power savings in some applications (more on this later), c) reduced heat output in some applications, and d) deep saturated hue (color) of output without filters. Does this mean that LEDs are generally more efficient, that is, can they be used to save power? With the current state of the art, incandescent bulbs actually put our more visible light per watt than most LEDs. So, if you want white light or if you don’t care about color of illumination, incandescents are somewhat more efficient than any combination of LEDs, and they remain more efficient than the newest ‘white LEDs’. However, if you want single color illumination, LEDs can be much more efficient, since, in that case, much of the light output of the incandescent source is absorbed by a filtering system.
LEDs are used more and more as incandescent light replacements. Their are at least 4 possible advantages to using LEDs compared to incandescent sources: a) longer lifetime, i.e., years rather than months of service, b) power savings in some applications (more on this later), c) reduced heat output in some applications, and d) deep saturated hue (color) of output without filters. Does this mean that LEDs are generally more efficient, that is, can they be used to save power? With the current state of the art, incandescent bulbs actually put our more visible light per watt than most LEDs. So, if you want white light or if you don’t care about color of illumination, incandescents are somewhat more efficient than any combination of LEDs, and they remain more efficient than the newest ‘white LEDs’. However, if you want single color illumination, LEDs can be much more efficient, since, in that case, much of the light output of the incandescent source is absorbed by a filtering system. If we i
