LEDs have been all over the lighting market, quickly taking the place of fluorescent tube lighting. However, people are still uncertain about whether it lives up to the hype and can truly out-perform the age-old, dependable fluorescent light.
The thing is, even LED lights now come in tubular forms. This can make it confusing to spot major differences between the two; unless you’re a lighting expert like the ones from A Lamp and Fixture Corp. Therefore, our team conducted a thorough comparison and penned it all down to make the differences more apparent and help you decide which form of lighting would cater to your needs the best. So let’s light up your homes and offices!
What They Are
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it is important to first understand the difference between the two. Once we know what the two are, we can put them head-to-head for a fair comparison to determine the better choice based on your needs.
LED Lights
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, an electrical device with two electrodes for electricity to flow through. So electricity flows in one direction and through the semiconductor material to light up our homes.
Fluorescent Lights
These are a specific kind of gas-discharge lights, also called compact fluorescent lighting (CFL).Most fluorescent lights are available in tube forms of 48 to 84 inches in length, but CFLs are generally smaller (it’s in their name!).
Fluorescent lights work by converting UV emissions using a fluorescent coating present on the inside of the tube. These UV emissions are generated by the electrical charge we provide, which then runs through the internal mercury glass of the bulb.
Differences Between LED and Fluorescent Lights
Now that we have a basic understanding of what the two types of lights are let’s compare their specific properties.
Material
LED’s use an aluminum backbone along with high-quality electrical parts to work. They are made from non-hazardous and non-toxic materials, which means they are free from lead and mercury. This also means that even if your lights break, which is highly unlikely, there wouldn’t be anything major to worry about.
On the other hand, fluorescent lights are made of plastic, glass and mercury. Mercury is a hazardous material and can be highly dangerous to anybody who comes in contact with it. Additionally, since these lights are made of glass, there are higher chances of them shattering and breaking.
How Long They Last
LEDs last significantly longer than your traditional fluorescent lights. They can ensure over 70,000 hours, basically paying for themselves over the years. Fluorescent lights will only last you 3-5 years, though.
Energy Efficiency
Electrical consumption takes away a large chunk of your monthly paycheck, and you’d obviously want to reduce it in any way possible. LEDs might just be the solution to this problem. In addition, LED lights are quite impressive when it comes to energy efficiency, offering up to 130 lumens per watt.
When we consider fluorescent lights, this measure decreases to just 50-80 lumens per watt.
It is rather obvious with this comparison why people prefer LEDs over fluorescent lights nowadays. If you’re looking to replace your home’s lighting, too, reach out to our electrical experts for a job done well!
