SPECIFICATIONS OF LEDs 10 TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

LEDs are becoming increasingly popular. Their design and function ensure unbeatable energy efficiency, which is why the LED has now surpassed the energy-saving lamps. But even with LEDs, there are some differences that should be considered: energy consumption, luminosity or color. The information on the packaging must be understood in order to find the right LED. That is why we show you today what the packaging information in the form of symbols or numbers exactly means.

1. LUMINOSITY
Lumen is the key value for the brightness of an LED. In contrast to the good, old wattage Lumen describes the brightness much better. Because the value indicates how high the amount of light that actually radiates a lamp. Today's Watt specifications of modern bulbs are significantly lower than conventional bulbs. On the packaging, you will often only find values ​​between three and nine watts. This is because modern lighting technology consumes much less power. The wattage of modern bulbs, therefore, has hardly any significance in terms of the expected brightness. If you miss the old unit of measure: usually the conversion of lumens to watts is indicated on the packaging.

Think about the purposes for which you want to use the space and the atmosphere it should have. For more information on the topic, read our blog post It will illuminate light - living spaces properly.

2. ENERGY LABEL
In the European Union, the energy efficiency of bulbs must be marked. These energy labels are based on strict standards and range to the best possible A ++ rating. LEDs generally belong to Class A to A +, halogen lamps and incandescent lamps are class B or C. However, since the year 2016, class C luminaires may no longer be marketed.

3. LIGHT COLOR
Some manufacturers have already developed their own descriptions for the light color of an LED. They offer the buyer a quicker orientation on the packaging.

4. COLOR TEMPERATURE
If there is no description of the light color, pay attention to the Kelvin specification (K). It indicates the color temperature and thus also the light color.
2,700 to 3,300 Kelvin indicate warm white light
Ideal for the office is neutral white light up to 5,300 Kelvin
Daylight white light from 5,300 Kelvin has a particularly high proportion of blue. This has one advantage: it makes us wide awake in the morning.
5. COLOR RENDERING
Have you ever seen that in a room that is completely red, you can no longer see red? Because red is reproduced in red light. This has something to do with the color rendering of a light source, which is described in an index. The abbreviation "CRI" is the English term "Color Rendering Index", which means "color rendering index" in German (Ra). Sunlight and incandescent lamps reach a Ra value of 100. This means that they contain all the spectral colors in the same distribution and thus reflect the color of objects very naturally. A lamp with this property has at least a value of 90 Ra.

6. LUMINOSITY
The percentage on the packaging indicates in how many seconds (s) the lamp reaches its full intensity (%).

7. DIMMABILITY
Not every LED is dimmable. Dimmable LEDs are indicated by the checkmark next to the dimmer symbol.
8. LIFE
The lifetime of an LED is usually specified in operating hours. Lifespan describes the time until the voltage drops to 70 percent (luminous flux decreases). The rule of thumb is: in the household (living room, kitchen or bathroom) is a light about 1,000 hours per year. Offices are charged an average of 2,400 operating hours per year, equivalent to 10 hours per working day. For rooms such as pantry, corridor, bedroom or guest toilet, an average of 180 operating hours per year is calculated.

9. MERCURY
Low levels of mercury are usually needed to produce efficient bulbs. However, unlike other bulbs, LEDs contain little to no mercury. On the packaging, the value Hg (the chemical name for mercury) indicates the mercury content of the LED.

10.THREAD IDENTIFICATION
To find the right LED light for the thread, you need to know the thread size - because your bedside lamp may need a different thread than your living room lamp. The shape and designation of the common Edison thread in Europe go back to Thomas Alva Edison. So the thread identification is "E", followed by the outside diameter of the thread in mm. E27 corresponds to a large thread, E14, however, a small version.