LEDs have changed the world of home lighting. They should last for years without a change in color or brightness and use a fraction of the energy than any other light source! So just how long do LED lights last and what should you know to get the best out of them?
How long do led lights last on batteries? How long do led light strips last? How long do light bulbs last? These are just a few questions we would love to answer you in this article.
We take a dive into this low energy world to quickly show you what you need to know.
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A LED is a semiconductor device which emits light when an electric current flows through it. It stands for Light Emitting Diode, so the name pretty much explains what these devices are and what they do.
LEDs are a very robust source of light, more a piece of electronics than anything like a traditional light source as we once knew them. They create very little heat and they are able to withstand knocks and vibration.
The life expectancy of an LED can be up to 100,000 hours so this means that if you use it for eight-hours every day, 365 days a year (for five years), the lifespan would be around 20 years before it needed replacing! This however depends on how well the LED is made and integrated into the lighting fixture. Not all LED is the same so the question how long do leds last does is not as simple as it seems.
These LEDs are integrated into lighting products in a variety of ways, from a small GU10 LED lamps to them being incorporated into the actual light fixtures themselves.
On average, an LED bulb/ LED light last around 50,000 hours! A really long time compared to your average typical incandescent – 50 times longer! This would last you up to 11 years! This is all depending on the power draw, the
LED light bulbs last a lot longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. This is thanks to the fact that they do not contain any filament or gas like an old-fashioned bulb would have. Instead LEDs use semiconductors which generate photons when electrons are injected into them, creating light that can be seen by the human eye. Very clever indeed.
The life expectancy of LED lights in there most common form is around 25,000 hours which is equivalent to about eleven years. However, they do not last as long as dedicated LED lighting that has this source in built and the reality is many LEDs do not actually last as long as promised.
LED light strips last even longer than traditional incandescent bulbs – up to 10 times longer! This is due to the fact that they run at such low temperatures. Traditional incandescent bulbs often run at much higher temperatures which leads to much smaller lifespans due to the led bulb. The power draw consequently much higher.
An LED light that utilises batteries can last a fairly long time depending on the battery used and the power draw. An LED drawing 1mA could last from 45 to 100 hours. The classic CopperTop AA cell holds a capacity of from 2000 and 3000 mAH depending on how it is used. Most LED lights you might find however utilise more than 1mA and therefore would see a lifetime of 10-30 hours on average.
The average tea light using a long lasting battery will likely have a lifetime of 200,000 hours.
When a lighting product that is using LED as it’s source of light is created, it will be designed to manage the thermal dynamics and emit way more light than a bulb can.
You should expect around 50,000 hours of lifespan before the light is no less than 70% of it’s original output – plus – there should be less failures on average than LED bulbs.
So we can see that all LED lights do not last the same. The ones that are designed to have a light source in built will always be more efficient and reliable.
Therefore, if you want your LEDs to last as long as possible, then it would be best to buy one that has a long warranty and is designed with the light source integrated in it.
Traditional lighting sources have always been compared by the average lifespan and published as for example, 3000 hours before they fail and stop working. So as we are used to this type of comparison it makes sense to use the same with LED so we can see their differences.
However, we cannot measure them in the same way.
Unless there is a rare catastrophic failure, LED will keep on working and slowly diminish over a long period of time. So LED life expectancy is measured instead by how long it will take before the light created is no longer useful enough for it’s intended purpose as there should be no abrupt end.
Summarised as: Estimated hours @ a percentage of deterioration.
A common example is 50,000 hours at L70, or in other words a lifespan of 50,000 hours before the output of the LED is at 70% of it’s original output so loosing 30% of it’s brightness.
This estimated number of hours is a prediction IF the product is run within the design parameters stipulated by the manufacturer, typically ambient running temperatures but there is wriggle room for these figures to be exaggerated.
So what should you be aware of when it comes to your LEDs wearing out?
LED degrading is down to heat. Although LED is cool enough to touch, even a fraction of warmth has to be removed from the LED chip and away into the air around it through a heat sink fast enough for any damage to be manageable and predictable.
So yes LED does degrade over time when used, but that depreciation will not be noticeable until many years in. If you run an LED in a fridge it will love it and last a very very long time!
Consider this comparison; LEDs can be created in a variety of sizes and tolerances so ones that are run at their full capacity to achieve their greatest output will expire quicker than a larger one that runs at 50% capacity providing the same amount of light. Also a wrong driver choice will supply too much power, frying the LED and that’s game over.
Take some care with your LED bulbs & fittings and they will last longer – here’s how:
LED lights last a long time but all LEDs don’t last the same. How do you know which ones are quality and which one will go bad quickly?
So how do you choose the best quality LED bulbs and fixtures as there are many factors to consider? Here’s our go to list of considerations:
This is still a relevant question as not all lighting can be replaced with an LED equivalent, and if it can there are some pros and cons in doing so.
When considering the potential advantages of switching to LED you should always have a greater efficiency and significant saving to your running costs. It is only an advantage if the return in investment in the LED is realised well within the expected lifespan.
A huge advantage in using less power for our lighting is the opportunity to turn off coal fired power stations at peak times in the day when the greatest demands land on the electricity network. If the western world used mostly LED then there would be no need for fossil fuelled power at all and only greener energy sources.
You should also consider the quality of LED bulbs you are using in comparison to other brands. This is often the most difficult choice for people because they don’t know where they need to look, and cannot compare them side by side. The best thing to do when choosing an LED bulb is always choose a product with good quality certification like UL or a brand name.
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