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You might want to consider these aspects first. But if you are unsure which LED light bulbs are suitable for you, SimplyLED’s experienced customer service team are available to offer you advice and guidance.

Voltage

Some LED light bulbs work with 230 volt mains AC (Alternating Current) electricity, for example the GU10 LED light bulbs. Others, like the MR16 LED bulbs, run on 12 volt DC (Direct Current).

Mains voltage LED light bulbs (such as GU10, B22 and E27 bulbs) have a built-in driver and can simply be swapped out with your regular bulbs. However, some other bulbs, such as MR16 and other 12V bulbs, require the use of an external 12V driver. If you are replacing existing incandescent 12V bulbs you will need to replace the transformer with a special LED driver.

Wattage and power

You can’t compare the wattage of LED and other types of bulbs directly – that’s because LED light bulbs use a lot less electricity. You need to compare the approximate ‘equivalent incandescent wattage’ quoted on the bulb’s packaging.

You may also find the light output of bulbs quoted in Lumens, although this can be misleading as manufacturers don’t always measure this in a consistent way. If you have an existing 50 W GU10 halogen bulb, you can also choose to replace it with a cheaper, less bright bulb.

Size and base fitting

LED light bulbs are designed to be direct replacements for existing bulbs. You need to make sure that not only is the base fitting the same, but the physical dimensions are the same. A good example of this is the MR11 LED.

Although similar to the MR16 LED, the MR11 is a smaller size bulb. Don’t rely on a photograph or illustration – this caught many people out when they changed from incandescent bulbs to CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights).

As long as you match the base fitting code (a GU10 LED will fit the same base as a GU10 Halogen or CFL), you only need to check the new bulb’s dimensions against the old.

Colour

In this context, we’re not really thinking about red, green or blue, but rather the shade of white light produced. White bulbs are labelled according to their colour temperature (see our article on the Kelvin scale).

The industry standard term ‘warm white’ refers to bulbs with a colour temperature of 3000 K. This colour temperature is the nearest equivalent to normal incandescent and halogen bulbs.

Bulbs with a colour temperature of 6000K are described as ‘ cool white’ – they appear brighter and produce a bluish light which is ideal for feature and accented lighting. As the name suggests, ‘cool white’ bulbs can seem cold, clinical, or even harsh when used as the main domestic illumination, but are very common in commercial and public places.

Other terms you may come across include ‘pure white’ or ‘daylight’ – be sure to check the colour temperature of these bulbs.

Beam angle

The beam angle describes how wide or narrow the beam of light is coming from the bulb. A narrow 45° angle produces a narrow focused beam, suitable for highlighting an object or small area, and you’ll be able to see a clear circle of light.

With a higher beam angle, the bulb may not appear as bright as a narrow beam bulb because the light spreads over a much larger area – the circle of light may not be visible, or have very hazy edges. The wide beam light is suitable for more general illumination such as areas in a kitchen.

Life expectancy

The long life of LED light bulbs is one reason they save you so much money (the other is the small amount of electricity they use). Most manufacturers say you can expect about 50,000 hours’ life from an LED.

Other manufacturers are more conservative quoting 30,000 hours, while some recent claims of 100,000 hours are difficult to verify. Compared to the typical 2,000 hour life of a halogen bulb, your LED light bulbs should last 25 times as long – that’s over 17 years at 8 hours a day! In case you were wondering, LED light bulbs usually come with a 1 year warranty.

Dimmable LED light bulbs?

Have you got dimmer switches? The lack of dimmable bulbs is often quoted as a problem with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), leaving many people without a low energy option. Enter the dimmable LED!

During 2010, LED manufacturers recognised the need for low energy dimmable bulbs, and now dimmable LED versions are available for many types of bulb. If the type you need isn’t available yet, it soon will be as manufacturers add to the range of dimmable LED light bulbs. Dimmable LED light bulbs are a little more expensive, but they will still give you huge savings compared to incandescent bulbs.

Price

Yes, LED light bulbs are more expensive to buy compared to incandescent, halogen and energy-saving CFLs. New technologies produced in small numbers are always more expensive to start with – remember how much flat-screen TVs used to cost?

But even with the current purchase price of LED light bulbs, you’ll probably be making savings within the first year. And when you consider your LED light bulbs could last 15 of more years, the savings will continue to mount up.

In commercial or public premises where lots of lights are on for extended periods, a change to the cooler-running LED light bulbs will reduce the need for air conditioning to keep the temperature down, with a subsequent reduction in electrical energy use.

Prices have already reduced to the point where LED light bulbs are now an affordable and viable alternative.

Some retailers may have kept their prices artificially high while LED light bulbs are scarce and a novelty. Now LED light bulbs are becoming a mainstream product, competition will ensured this practice doesn’t continue.

The Internet and a willingness to buy online has ensured there are often better deals on retailers’ websites than in traditional DIY and lighting stores. A further development has been the appearance of specialist companies and websites which often offer better deals when buying in quantity.

You should look out for websites which appear to be cheaper because they don’t quote prices including VAT, and have hidden delivery charges.

Environmental factors

With so much emphasis on the cost savings of LED light bulbs, it’s easy to overlook the environmental advantages. As LED light bulbs use a lot less electricity, less fuel is needed to generate the electricity, with a corresponding reduction in harmful emissions from power stations.

LED light bulbs do not include hazardous chemicals. This is a further environmental benefit. One major disadvantage of CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) is the mercury vapour and other chemicals which are inside the tube.

Not only is manufacture hazardous, but disposal needs to be highly specialised. And if the CFL tube gets broken, the mercury and other chemicals escape into the atmosphere. Which ever way you look at it, LED light bulbs are the green option.

What do you think? Is there anything else you’d like to know about before buying LED light bulbs?