LED lighting has became the preferred choice for most home and commercial space owners as prices have declined in tandem with the rapid progress in technology. An LED light bulb, although still more costly than an incandescent bulb, is still affordable as you would be able to get it for as low as $5. The advantages of LED bulb far outweigh its costs due to its inherent low energy consumption and long lifespan. These attributes have almost forced incandescents out the entire market save for decorative Edison bulbs, which serve a niche market for industrial / vintage feel.
Image: Allure Edison Light Bulb
So how does LED compare to incandescent in terms of brightness and energy savings? There isn't a uniform way to do this but generally when LED and incandescent are the same in brightness, a LED bulb draws 5 times lesser wattage than an incandescent. For example if a 40W incandescent is able to project 450 lumens in brightness, the equivalent in LED only requires 6W to 9W.
Another distinct advantage of LED is its ability to project different light colours. The light emitted from a LED has a specific wavelength hence a specific colour. Let's just focus on the 3 popular light colours for homes and commercial spaces - cool white, daylight and warm white. These colours are measured in temperature, the unit being kelvin. Incandescent bulbs can only emit warm white colour. While on this topic, the actual temperature of LED is also much cooler than an incandescent as the heat dissipates through a heat sink in the base of the bulb.
Image: LED Light Colour Temperatures
So is there any advantage of an incandescent? Incandescents are dimmable and are compatible with most dimmer switches. There are dimmable LEDs in the market but you need to ensure that the dimmer switch / circuitry is compatible and be prepared to shell out more money for them.
Today, LED is so prevalent, functional and cost-effective. Understand your requirements and light up your space with the appropriate LED lighting (ie: downlights, light bulbs, track lights or cob lights). CT Food Chain
