Whenever we decide to buy LED lights, we mainly take factors like cost, durability, brightness and energy efficiency into consideration and most often forget important factors like Heat Sink, Beam and Kelvin ratings.
We don’t deny that energy efficiency, brightness and cost are not important factors to consider but while selecting LED lights Beam Angle, Heat Sink and Kelvin ratings are also equally important and deserve the same attention.
Here is how Heat Sink, beam angles and Kelvin temperatures make your LED Lighting more amazing and useful.
Heat Sink: Construction, importance and uses
LED lights have taken over both CFL and Tungsten LED bulbs in a very short span of time because of their high durability and energy efficiency factor. Before the arrival of LED lights, it was Tungsten and CFL lights being widely used all over the world.
A Tungsten bulb can merely serve you 5,000 hours of power while as an LED light can last for as long as 100000 hours that is equivalent to 12 years. So durability is certainly major decision to take while purchasing LED Bulbs and Tube Lights.
How long will the light lost, this question invariably pops up. Did you know which feature of LED light decides its durability? The feature is Heat Sinks of LED lights which are placed at their back. A question may come into your head that if the LED lighting is working properly then why you should care about Heat Sinks installed at the back of it.
- For your information, we will like to add to your knowledge that heat sink is not a vestigial or less important feature in any aspect for LED lights, in fact, it is this factor that decides the durability of a light. So more the heat sinking capacity of a light, the higher will be its durability. The strength of a heat sink will be decided by the material of which it is made.
- All of us have experienced that when an electric current is passed through a bulb, some energy is definitely converted into heat energy. In case of incandescent bulbs, its percentage is quite high and in case of LED, it is negligent in almost all LEDs.
- If it is slightly high in an LED light, it is definitely going to affect the durability of it. This is because more energy will be wasted in converting energy into heat and less will be available for converting into visible light thereby affecting the luminous performance of LED lights.
- The luminescent performance of LED lights is measured in Watts/ Lumens. More watts an LED light consumes, less is its efficiency & more the Lumen rating of a light, higher is its efficiency.
Construction Of A Heat Sink
Hence to increase the efficiency of lights, Heat Sinks are used. If you are still wondering what this heat sink is and how it increases the efficiency of an Electric bulb, then learn about it here.
It is like a washbasin installed in the kitchen which drains excess water to facilitate a smooth and continuous flow of water in it. The heat sink in LED drains the heat produced so that it doesn’t produce any effect on the efficiency of the light.
The efficiency of a heat sink is determined by its size, finishing and orientation with the light and most important on the material used in its construction. The copper would have been the better choice but due to its expensiveness, nowadays aluminum is used in heat sinks which are also a very efficient heat conductor. The size of the heat sink should be large and it should be coated with paint.
Colour Temperature And Kelvins
The colour temperature determines the colour of the light source. The LED Lights are classified as Daylight, Natural, Warm and cool colours. Each LED light on the basis of its colour gives it a specific look and feel. And each colour has its certain specific applications. Though the description of the colour is given on the packages of LED lights, you still need to know which LED light is apt for which atmosphere.
The colour temperature of LED lights is measured in Kelvins. This unit is unique for LED lights. Higher Kelvin rating means cooler the light colour will be and lower ratings will mean warmer colour lights. The Kelvin ratings of an LED light starts from 2700K to 6500K. For your information, the temperature has nothing to do with the Kelvin ratings of a bulb.
- Warm White Light – 2700K- 3500K; calm and reducing light; better for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms
- Natural White Light- 3500K to 4500K; cool and clean; mimics sunlight, good for any location.
- Day Light- 5000K-6000K; clear crisp; ideal for security lights, garages, or retail locations and offices.
- Cool White Light- 6000K-7000K; good in commercial and industrial applications to foster alertness.
LED Lights And Significance Of Beam Angles
LED Lights are unidirectional that is they emit light in a very specific direction. So it becomes important to devise a way to ensure the right spread of an LED light. The best way to do it will be select a beam angle for a bulb.
Though the beam angle is usually mentioned in the package it is important for you to know which typical beam angle suits which environment or need. The beam angles start from 15- 100 and occasionally can go up to 120 and 180 as well. Remember the efficiency of the LED lights can decrease if the beam angle is higher.
- Spotlight- Beam angle 30; high brightness: fewer watts; used in shops, malls and workshops mainly; serves a decorative purpose.
- Downlighting– Beam angle above 30; ideal for high power LED lamps; used indoors to illuminate rooms
- For High Ceilings– Beam angle 30-45 & lower 60-100 degree.
- Outdoors And Street Lights – lower beam angles
Conclusion
LED Lights consume 9 times save energy than the conventional lights and still offer supremely bright light. From compact capsule styles to on-trend filament bulbs, you have a very wide choice available to select an LED light of your favorite color, desired wattage brightness, durability, shape and design. You can purchase LED Lights online as well as offline. There are sites that sell LED Lights Online. Compare Led lights prices according to the size and capacity. They can also vary with the design and shape.
