LED light bulbs are still new and mysterious to many of us, and many of us are fearful of putting these strange new devices into our own familiar light sockets. It’s a big change. Maybe some of you have even tried them out, tried them out and hated them. You didn’t like the light’s color, it made your paint look funny, or it just stopped working.
“LEDs just don’t work,” you hear. “They’re a passing fad.” “Don’t waste your money.”
At the time those concerns were probably valid, and to tell you the truth, for many LEDs they still might be.
LEDs Do More Than You Think….
So why do we call this qualm a myth? First, let’s look at all the industries that have made LEDs work for them: car manufacturers use them, TV makers swear by them, streetlight manufacturers have gone for them, and industrial developers can’t get enough. LEDs have helped all these industries, among others, create revolutionary products.
Looking at these industries, LEDs have helped them change for the better in a very rapid, very short time. So, even if you tried an LED light bulb in your home a year ago, 6 months ago, they’ve come a long way since then.
LED lights, in fact, have a number of features that allow them to work better than other, more familiar light sources.
The light emitting diodes that make up the LED are more compatible with the rough and tumble everyday reality. LEDs don’t shatter like delicate incandescent lights, and they don’t have fragile filaments to worry about. They also don’t contain harmful mercury like fluorescent lights, or have electrodes that are easily damaged.
LEDs have rated lives ranging from 35,000 to 50,000 hours, over 10 times the standard. If you’ve had bad experiences trying to dim LEDs in the past, lighting manufacturers have finally come out with workable, dimmable LED light bulbs and compatable dimmers. You can read more on that subject here.
All this sounds to me like a lighting solution that works.
Calling The Bluff
But, sometimes the “LEDs don’t work” concern is still a valid one. This is because not all LED lights are quality ones.
To ensure your LEDs are actually going to deliver what they promise, you just need to follow one simple rule: always look for the Lighting Facts label. Lighting Facts is a program of the U.S. Department of Energy, and is committed to helping consumers find reliable products. Hundreds of LED products offer these labels right on their packaging. You can read more about Lighting Facts here.
Have you had a disappointing run-in with an LED in the past? What happened? How about any success stories? Do tell!
And, stay tuned to learn the truth about even more dubious LED myths.