LED vs CFL: Which One is Better?

Homeowners are always seeking ways to save money. Whether it is by using alternative heating and cooling; or different lighting plans, or a combination of both, homeowners or contractors are always seeking new solutions nowadays. For example, look at heating and cooling. One of the methods that are popular today is using a heat pump. A heat pump uses the air around the pump for heating and cooling. It works quite well to temperatures near 0 where it might need some help. Still, it saves you money.

Fluorescent Versus LED Lighting

Then there is the choice of lighting. Today, the options available to the homeowner seem wide-ranging. However, if you look closely, it boils down to two major types of lighting fluorescent and LED, each of which does offer savings.

Fluorescent lighting is the older of the two styles of illumination. Indeed, it goes back to well before the middle of the last century. In theory, it is quite simple. You take an inert gas like xenon and fill a tube with it. Then, you put a low voltage DC charge into the tube so that the electrons start to move around. Eventually, the electrons become excited, and the tube begins to emit light.

Over time, fluorescent lighting saves you money because it runs at about 15 watts. It saves you money over the incandescent light bulb because of the low wattage that it uses. Let’s say the incandescent bulb draws 60 watts of electricity. If we assume a 4 cent per kilowatt power rate for the incandescent bulb, you can see that it will cost 40 cents per 10 hours of use or a bit over 80 cents per day on a round-the-clock basis.

1. Contrast with a fluorescent light

Let’s contrast this with the fluorescent bulb. For most household uses, you will find that the fluorescent lamp uses about a quarter of the power of the incandescent fixture. This means that instead of 4 cents per hour, the fluorescent uses about 1 cent of electricity per kilowatt hour (this figure assumes an average usage figure; it varies by area and usage). So, instead of the near $1 for 24 hours, it is now about 4 cents for the same period.

An LED light, in general, is made up of one or two electrical devices, though it may be more. Looking at the name of the device, it is a Light-Emitting Diode. It is made up of an electrically active device that emits light when a current stimulates it. In most LED devices, there are only about .7 watts used for the entire device. This means that the LED will cost you about 2.8 cents per day to operate.

As you can see it is a substantial saving over either the CFD or incandescent lightbulb.

2. Advantages of using LED

a. LED lighting tends to be much less expensive because it is a DC-powered device and it does not use substantial amounts of electricity; the LED is cheaper by orders of magnitudes (as we have already discussed).

b. An LED device can be shaped like a standard electrical bulb – incandescent – which makes it far more convenient to use. It is true there are some somewhat esoteric shapes out there, but, by and large, the LED is much more conventional-looking than other devices (this is a development of the last five years). It can also use a standard electrical fixture.

c. An LED tends to last a long time. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the LED uses a very low current level which means there is less heat generated. The amount of heat produced is what spells the life or death a device. Heat also decreases the amount of life available in electrical equipment. The second is that it is a solid-state device, rather than a bulb-based device. Incandescent and fluorescent lights rely on a vacuum and the excitement of a lighting source (a wire in the incandescent; electrons in the CFD). Both of them do use more heat and wear out more quickly than the LED. An incandescent will last about six months in average use, while a CFD (fluorescent) can last several years. In contrast, the low-voltage LED can last 10s of years with proper care.

3. Limitation of LED lights

One drawback of the LED is disposal. Since it is a solid-state device, it uses a particular chemical that is doped to emit light. If, for example, the LED is supposed to emit red, it means there is a copper-based solid-state device. This can be harmful environmentally.

Traits of CFD Device

1. Because it is a proven technology, it is at a stage in its life cycle where it is just cheaper to run and use than either an LED or an incandescent. On average, a CFD is about a-quarter the expense of an LED.

2. A fluorescent bulb tends to start out dimly and then come up in its brightness. This is because the electrons and inert gas in the tube take time to resonate (they do tend to vibrate at their fundamental frequency; this is generated by the electric pulse placed on them by the starter.

3. A fluorescent bulb needs a specialized fixture. Generally, the fixture is either long, or it is round. The standard household tube starts at about 19 inches. The next is about two-feet long, and the following is just short of four-feet and so on. Circular fixtures tend to be about 18 inches in circumference so that the diameter of the device is roughly 36 inches. Some of the round devices feature two tubes and are a little brighter, though both devices are still limited to about 14 watts per tube.

4. Disposal of fluorescent tubes can be tricky as it is with LED devices. Of the devices, fluorescent tubes are not as difficult to dispose of as are LEDs. This is because the fluorescent tube tends to have a tiny amount of the fluorescing gas. Since it is relatively small, it is easier to ensure than CFDs are disposed of properly.

Today, in most uses, the LED bulb tends to be the lightbulb of choice. Since the LED delivers a standard amount of light, which is also brighter than the CFD, it is used by most commercial buildings as well as by many households. It is likely, in fact, that LEDs will become even more prevalent in the future. The only change that you might see is a bulb that is easier to dispose of. Its solid-state portion may have a smaller footprint and yet be as bright or perhaps brighter than the devices of today.