LED lighting
Archived post from 2012, recovered from my old blog. The technology described here is probably out of date. Original at the Internet Archive.
Nowadays everyone knows what LED is. A light emitting diodes are everywhere in many different factors. From an ultra small SMD diodes soldered directly to a PCB boards to a high power diodes used in lighting and illumination systems.
After EU started to gradually eliminate energy inefficient light bulbs alternatives including LED lights became more and more popular.
I decided to equip my new house with LED lights only. I spent several weeks experimenting with different products and learning what is important. It turned out to be quite challenging task. I am not going to recommend a specific products here. I wanted to share some general thoughts about different aspects of LED lighting which may help you in making decisions:
- type – there are different types of diodes including SMD, high power or classic ones. I only bother if diodes are directly visible or covered. Personally I do not like the look of classic diodes and bulbs with 20, 40, 60, … of them. SMD ones look much better. But its is just a matter of taste
- mounting – must match the mounting in your lamp. E27 and E14 mounting are often used for bigger light bulbs in chandeliers or light shades. GU10, MR16 are common for spotlights and desk lamps
- voltage – 230v/110V connected directly to the mains or 12v with an additional adapter
- beam angle – spot lights (20˚ – 90˚) for decorations or to light tables, wash bowls etc. Wide angles (>120˚) rather for ceilings to create ambient light
- color temperature – cold white (6000K) are suitable for offices, workshops, garages. Warm white lights (<3200K) in all other rooms especially in those we rest or relax. 2700K is a very warm light similar to that emitted by traditional light bulb – its the most comfortable but also difficult to find good 2700K LED
- wattage – in general the more watts the bulb takes the more light emits. But that depends on the efficiency of course
- lumens – expresses the amount of light the light bulb emits. I always use a comparison to 100W incandescent light bulb which produces 1170 lumens
- dimmers support – most of the LED lights do not work with light dimmers – those which does work are very expensive
- quality and LED color – unfortunately there are lots of poor quality LED lights emitting pinkish, greenish or reddish light. Be aware that cheap LEDs tend to have noticeable dispersion in terms of parameters, especially color temperature so two identical items can light differently
And this is how my light equipment looks for now:
| Room | Area | Type and mounting | Amount and power | Angle | Temp | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 10m2 | LED G4 | 36W = 8 x 4,5W | 35˚ | 3000K | over the table desk |
| Living room | 30m2 | LED GU9 | 40W = 8 x 5,0W | 180˚ | 3200K | could be warmer |
| Study | 10m2 | LED GU10 | 11W = 2 x 5,5W | 120˚ | 3200K | |
| Bathroom 1 | 12m2 | LED wall lamps | 11W = 2 x 5,5W | 180˚ | 3200K | |
| Bathroom 2 | 10m2 | LED GU10 | 14,4W = 4 x 3,6W | 120˚ | 3200K | sometimes its not enough |
| Storage | 8m2 | LED E27 | 12W = 1 x 12W | 180˚ | 3200K | |
| Bedroom | 22m2 | LED GU10 | 22W = 4 x 5,5W | 120˚ | 3200K | |
| Kids room | 28m2 | LED GU10 | 44W = 8 x 5,5W | 120˚ | 3200K | |
| Playroom | 48m2 | LED GU10 | 48W = 6 x 8W | 120˚ | 3200K | I plan to replace it with more powerful and cooler light |
| Garage | 38m2 | LED floodlights | 36W = 2 x 18W | 120˚ | 6000K | definitely not enough |
And make sure to test a couple of pieces in your house before placing a one thousand dollar order ;)