Unlike halogens and fluorescents, LEDs only emit visible light and no UV or IR radiation. This means less energy is wasted in the form of heat and invisible light. Whilst LEDs are initially more expensive than fluorescent or compact fluorescent lights, they will provide huge savings over the long term as they use far less electricity than normal incandescent bulbs. In fact, LED lights are so efficient that they are often able to pay for themselves in under 2 years. With escalating electricity costs they are a great investment for your business.

An LED lamp from a quality manufacturer should be good for at least 50,000 hours and cost only £40 to run during that time. It can easily replace the 40w light bulb costing £5.60 every 1,000 hours or £280 over 50,000 hours. Even if the LED lamp had a purchase price of £30, it would still only cost about £2 to run each 1000 hours compared to £5.60 for the traditional bulb. Either way, switching to LED makes sense because the cost of electricity isn’t likely to get any cheaper!

The bottom line – LEDs consume far less power. Fluorescents may be energy-saving light sources compared to old-fashioned tungsten, but when contrasted with LEDs there really is no contest!

Today’s LEDs produce light in a variety of colour temperatures (day, cool, warm white), but don’t have any flickering issues that are associated with traditional tubes.

Light from a fluorescent bulb is non-directional, whilst LEDs offer directional light (illumination exactly where you need it). Fluorescents have multi-directional light, which means some light is lost in the fixture and other unnecessary places.
Brightness – in terms of brightness or ‘lumen output’, LEDs produce excellent light output equivalent light to halogen and CFL. A 10W LED downlight for example is sufficient for replacing a 50W halogen downlight.

LED’s can produce a variety of warm white, cool white or daylight light colours. LEDs provide all manner of different colours for any purpose making them so adaptable. They can be used in almost any environment or lighting situation.
Stable Lighting Quality – today’s LEDs produce light in a variety of colour ‘temperatures’, but do not have the flickering issues common with fluorescent.

Durability: Fluorescent tubes burn out faster when used with movement sensors (PIR’s) whereas LEDs work perfectly with control systems as they are not affected by turning on or off. LEDs are far less fragile than both fluorescent and incandescent bulbs. They are far more durable and less likely to being rendered inoperable due to being knocked accidentally. There is less danger of broken glass as they are available in polycarbonate.

Instant On: LEDs light up as soon as they are switched on. Fluorescents can’t do this and require time to flicker before staying on. LEDs provide instant light and instant full illumination.
Don’t be dim: most fluorescents cannot be dimmed – most LEDs have full dimming capabilitie.

Switching to LED lighting will contribute greatly to the reduction in greenhouse emissions, playing a valuable part for the environment. Additionally, LED lighting is mercury-free making it safer for the environment. Fluorescent lights by their very nature must contain a small amount of mercury. This metal and vapour is extremely hazardous to both humans and the environment. If it is ingested or inhaled it can cause serious complications and as such must be disposed of safely.

LEDs are completely safe, putting users at ease while knowing that they are not contributing to pollution.

Fed up of the “buzz” from fluorescent tubes? Fluorescent tubes are notorious for being noisy, especially if they are getting old. They tend to click and pop intermittently, but most annoyingly they can produce a low buzzing sound. In a working environments this can be distracting. Well, LED’s operate silently with no annoying quirks or noises.

Turn the air-con off! Fluorescent, incandescent and halogen bulbs produce much more heat than LEDs which are lukewarm to the touch and therefore carry less risk of causing an accidental fire or burn.