FAQ

Q. Is an LED a bulb?
A. LEDs do appear to be bulbs, but in fact are not. LEDs are tiny semiconductors encapsulated in plastic which protects their components and helps to focus the light.

Q. What is the difference between an incandescent bulb, fluorescent bulbs and LEDs?
A. Incandescent lights work by using electricity to heat a filament until it glows. They also give off a lot of excess heat — you know that if you’ve ever touched a light bulb after it’s been on for even a short while. Fluorescent lights work by passing electrical current through a gas-filled tube, which causes it to emit light. LEDs work by channelling electric current through a semi-conductor material — 100 per cent of which is turned into light, with no waste heat produced. LEDs are very energy efficient.

Q. Why do LEDs use such little power?
A. LEDs do not use a filament where a conductor is heated and light is created. Filament based lighting consumes more power than the light produced. LEDs produce very little amounts of heat and do not use filaments making them far more efficient in consumption and output.

Q. Do LEDs produce heat?
A. LEDs produce very little heat.

Q. What are the environmental benefits of LEDs?
A. The energy savings over conventional incandescent bulbs is 85% and 50% over compact fluorescent lamps.  LEDs have no mercury, unlike CFLs and due to the increased lifespan of 10-20 years, less landfill waste.

Q. Are LEDs expensive?
The initial investment for LEDs is higher, but based on energy savings alone, payback should take about 1.5 years over a standard incandescent and the bulb replacement value dramatically improves payback over the years the LED is in service (LEDs don’t need to be replaced for approximately 50,000 hours compared to 1000 hours for an incandescent). One single 7-watt LED equal to one 60 watt incandescent can save approximately $400.00 over the lifetime of the bulb.  These numbers only get better when adding energy savings related to reduced air conditioning loads and maintenance savings.