How to choose an LED light bulb for an apartment. LED lamps for the home: are they worth using?
Theoretical calculations and practical comparisons of various light sources, the use of LED lamps.
The issue of saving electricity is still one of the first places in the family budget. This is due to the constant growth of tariffs. Recall that since the times of the USSR, prices have increased 20 times and are not going to stop. One of the areas of savings is saving on lighting. Here, too, there have been some developments.
The news is related to the decline in prices for. Now these devices can be bought at a price of less than 300 rubles apiece, i.e. they came close in price to the energy-saving ones that have become popular among the people fluorescent lamps. Here are a few examples: lamp 2.1 W GLOBE-LED21 E27 white 196 rubles; 3W -374 rubles; 8 W-809 rub.
Let's compare different light sources.
To understand what LED bulbs can and can't do, you need to compare how much light they give out different types lamps per watt of energy consumed, i.e. The starting point for us will be, as the most famous standard. In general, the theoretical limit of luminous efficacy of LED lamps is 300 lm/W and the efficiency is 40%. Now the best ones give 100 lm / W and 15% efficiency.
An incandescent lamp gives out 10-19 lm / W; luminescent (energy saving) 60 - 100 lm/W; LED 6.5-100 lm/W. Thus, the familiar cheap incandescent vacuum lamps with a power of 40, 60 and 100 W give out about 400, 600 and 1000 lm. This, of course, is an average. The fact that they have the same or higher luminous efficiency, and the price is lower than LED lamps, makes us think about the advisability of using LEDs.
Let's check the data with the help of devices.
For example, now a good energy-saving lamp, up to 20 watts. can be purchased at retail at a price of 100 rubles. Let me remind you that such a lamp will correspond to a 100 W incandescent lamp. Here is a comparison table of measured indicators of real incandescent, LED and energy-saving lamps. I do not indicate the name, so as not to be considered for advertising.
For 40W lamps.
| Lamp parameters | Incandescent 40 W | Energy saving 9 W | LED 7W |
| Current, A | 0,19 | 0,05 | 0,05 |
| Light output, lm/W | 9 | 56 | 43,4 |
| Luminous flux, lm | 360 | 500 | 304 |
| Color temp., K | 2800 | 4000 | 5500 |
| Working temp. WITH | 180 | 60 | 70 |
| Service life, h | 1000 | 10000 | 30000 |
| Price, rub | 6 | 79 | 1352 |
For 60W lamps.
| Lamp parameters | Incandescent 60 W | Energy saving 11W | LED 9W |
| Current, A | 0,27 | 0,07 | 0,072 |
| Light output, lm/W | 10,2 | 56 | 50,4 |
| Luminous flux, lm | 612 | 620 | 454 |
| Color temp., K | 2800 | 4000 | 5500 |
| Working temp. WITH | 180 | 60 | 70 |
| Service life, h | 1000 | 10000 | 30000 |
| Price, rub | 14 | 84 | 1950 |
For 100W lamps.
| Lamp parameters | Incandescent 100 W | Energy saving 15 W | LED 13.2 W |
| Current, A | 0,45 | 0,145 | 0,093 |
| Light output, lm/W | 10 | 60 | 68 |
| Luminous flux, lm | 1000 | 900 | 900 |
| Color temp., K | 2800 | 4000 | 5500 |
| Working temp. WITH | 180 | 60 | 70 |
| Service life, h | 1000 | 10000 | 30000 |
| Price, rub | 25 | 93 | 2790 |
Disappointing conclusions
Interesting offers
If you want to start a business of buying and selling light sources, then look at the information on Chinese Internet sites. China produces hundreds of millions of such lamps a year.
If you live in Moscow, then a large assortment of LEDs, lamps and fixtures can be found on the radio market in Mitino. This is convenient, because you can see the products in action without buying them and get qualified advice from the sellers.
Another area of application of LEDs is LED running lights and instrument lighting in cars. There are also a lot of such devices, of any size and for any car model. There are, for example, with their help you can decorate your car like a Christmas tree. Tapes differ in color, number of LEDs and the presence or absence of. If you are a fan, then you have all the materials for creativity. All in your hands.
By the way, the tapes are equipped with strips of double-sided tape. They can be easily glued both inside and out. This decor is also interesting in the house, as additional lighting. Come up with more ways to use LEDs and write to us. Good luck!
IN Lately LED lamps are becoming very popular among consumers. They are not only preferred to simple incandescent lamps, but also installed in place of energy-saving ones. But in order to organize at home proper lighting, it is necessary to competently approach the question of how to choose an LED lamp. Here it is necessary to take into account several mandatory conditions. The production of these lighting fixtures engaged in many firms, both Russian and foreign. But the risk of purchasing low-quality goods with insufficient awareness of the manufacturer is high, since there are many fakes on the market. What is remarkable about these light sources, how to choose a good LED lamp and which manufacturers of LED lamps to give preference to, we will consider in this article.
Main advantages
- Unlike ordinary incandescent lamps, these miniature switching power supplies, powered by microcircuits, are economical power consumers (11 W / h).
- Designed to work up to 30,000 hours.
- They do not contain hazardous metals that are harmful to human health, such as in energy saving lamps(therefore, the latter require special disposal), there is no infrared and ultraviolet radiation.
- During operation, LED lamps practically do not heat up, like incandescent lamps. This results in energy savings.
- Resistant to mechanical stress, vibration.
- Due to the RGB LEDs, it is possible to customize the multi-color lighting of the apartment.
- More advanced models of LED lamps have a built-in battery that allows them to work autonomously, control is available from a remote control or via Wi-Fi. Used in Smart Home systems.
Deciding on power
This is the first criterion by which, as a rule, consumers choose a lighting fixture. How many watts the light source is designed for will determine its efficiency. It consists of the power consumption of the built-in LEDs and the driver.
How to choose an LED lamp by power? To do this, it is necessary to divide this indicator of the previously used incandescent lamp by 5. Ie. if a 75 W light source was previously used, then when replacing with a modern version, only a 15 W LED lamp will be required.
But it is not enough just to choose the power. LED bulbs for the house are selected and in accordance with the voltage. In modern apartments, as a rule, two lighting options are used, for 12 and 220 V. The first option is most often used in rooms with high humidity or when organizing light in stretch ceilings. But do not think that such lamps will consume less electricity, and install them throughout the apartment.
Light flow
If earlier, when choosing an incandescent lamp, they first of all looked at the power consumption, then when buying LED-lamps, it is initially necessary to pay attention to the luminous flux, i.e. brightness. This characteristic is measured in Lumens. The main advantage of these lamps is a powerful luminous flux with low power consumption. How to choose a bright LED lamp? To do this, you can match incandescent lamps and LED lamps. 
Luminous flux ratio table.
If you plan to install a light source with a frosted bulb, you should take into account the fact that up to 30% of the luminous flux is lost in it.
What color temperature should you choose?
It is measured in degrees Kelvin. The lower the value, the yellower the light emitted by the lamp. Over the years of using incandescent lamps, which have a rating of 2,700 - 3,500 K, consumers have become accustomed to warm light. And they are largely guided by this habit, choosing LED lamps for the home. How to choose the right color temperature? Experts recommend installing LED-lamps depending on the purpose of the room. Cold white, with an indicator of 6000-6400 K, it resembles natural daylight, it is quite unusual to see him in the evening. At the same time, it is perfect, for example, for a corridor. For use in living rooms, bedrooms and nurseries, warm white and neutral colors of 3000-5000 K will be the most comfortable for human perception.
Plinth type
Depends on the lighting device in which the LED lamps for the home will be installed. How to choose the appropriate type? The most common are E27 and E14, they are used in most modern chandeliers, sconces, night lamps. 
For spotlights in furniture and ceiling structures, the GU4, GU5.3, GU10 base is most often needed. Such lamps are designed for a voltage of 12 V. If there is any doubt about the correct selection of the required type of base, it is better to go to the store with an old copy of the lamp.
Operating temperature range
If the question is how to choose an LED lamp for an apartment, then you can ignore this indicator. But if you plan to install lighting in a different room with certain conditions, it is worth considering the operating conditions. For example, for street lighting the product must withstand a low temperature of -35-40 0 C. For a bath or sauna, it is better to choose an operating temperature range of at least 100 0 C.
A quality lamp should have a heatsink
This is a safety device that is designed to divert high temperatures from the LED block. It should be made in the form of an aluminum ribbed surface. Unscrupulous manufacturers replace this metal with plastic to reduce the cost of their products. For a quality product, this is unacceptable. Since the plastic branch is not able to cope with the functions assigned to it. On this occasion, a lot of negative feedback from people who had the opportunity to test lighting fixtures with a plastic radiator.
Therefore, those who are thinking about how to choose the right LED lamp should pay attention to this design detail. The heat sink is extremely important for the normal and long life of the lamp. If the manufacturer has saved on material or the protective device has poor contact with the LED, the lamp will not work out its resource and will fail after six months of use.
Then how to choose a LED lamp with a frosted bulb? In this case, it is not possible to look at the presence of a radiator and the material from which it is made. Therefore, if possible, it is better to refuse to purchase such a lighting fixture.
Ripple factor
This is also an important condition that high-quality LED lamps for the home have. How to choose a good option? It is not possible to assess this indicator with the naked eye. But if the lamp pulsates strongly, this affects rapid fatigue and the nervous system of a person who has been in a room with such consecration for a long time. Ripple indicates a low-quality rectifier in the power supply of the device.
Not all manufacturers indicate the ripple factor, in this case, how to choose an LED lamp? You can check it yourself, even before buying. To do this, point the mobile phone camera at the switched on lamp, if the image is flashing, then it is better to refuse to purchase such a product.
Life time
Depending on the materials from which the lighting device is made, the service life is on average about 30,000 hours of operation. From this calculation, the service life of quality products is about 5 years. But cheap Chinese fakes will fail after a few months of operation. Therefore, it is better to pay once for a quality product than to buy new lamps every six months. 
Degree of protection
Such products have several degrees of protection against moisture and dust. Which LED lamps to choose also depends on the purpose of the room. The degree of protection of the shell is indicated by "IP" and two numbers. The first designates a class of protection against dust, and the second - against moisture.
Appearance of the package
A bona fide manufacturer must indicate the following information on the packaging of their lighting products:
- power
- plinth type;
- light flow;
- color temperature;
- color rendering coefficient;
- information about the manufacturer;
- warranty period of work;
- degree of protection;
- barcode.
As you can see, many answers to the question of how to choose an LED lamp can be found on the packaging.
Price
A good LED lamp does not have to be cheap. It cannot be about 50, 100 or 200 rubles. Such a price can only indicate that cheap and low-quality materials were used for production. Of course, it is psychologically difficult to give several hundred rubles for one light bulb at once. But if you think about the energy efficiency and long-term work that this product is designed for, doubts disappear by themselves.
Which manufacturer to choose?
Of course, all of the above characteristics largely depend on the company that produces LED lamps. Today they are produced by both foreign and Russian companies. Undoubtedly, the leaders are such brands as PHILIPS, PAULMANN, OSRAM, BIOLEDEX. Also a lot good reviews consumers about MAXUS, is suitable for those who want to purchase relatively high-quality lighting products at not inflated prices. For those who choose Russian manufacturers, it is worth taking a closer look at products from Svetlana-Optoelectronics and Optogan ("Optogan").
Scope of application
It is fair to say that such devices are used not only for standard lighting of various kinds of premises. Recently, LED lamps for plants have become widely used. How to choose the right option? They should emit light in the blue and reddish spectrum. For lighting ordinary rooms, it is excluded, since it distorts objects and negatively affects vision, but it is this one that is consumed by plants. 
Conclusion
Today, LED lamps for the home are very popular among consumers as lighting fixtures. How to choose the right option and not miscalculate with the manufacturer? Basically, the choice of a particular model depends on what is planned to be covered and what preferences the buyer has.
Firstly, it is worth deciding on the luminous flux, it depends on the purpose of the room and its area.
Secondly, it is necessary to determine the desired color temperature. It is worth remembering here that even the warm light of a lamp is not a guarantee that it does not contain an unwanted blue spectrum. But such light is still much more preferable for the eyes than cold. The blue spectrum is filtered only in those lamps, on the packaging of which the manufacturer indicated this. If there is no such mark, then there is no filter.
Thirdly, depending on the luminaire into which the lamp will be inserted, the type of base is selected.
Fourth, do not neglect the means of protection: operating temperature range (for special rooms), the presence of a high-quality cooling radiator.
Fifth, do not chase cheapness and choose unknown manufacturers. The most popular brands, according to consumer reviews: PHILIPS, PAULMANN, OSRAM, BIOLEDEX. Accordingly, such manufacturers can be trusted. It is better to pay extra for a good product and be sure of its quality.
In any case, all the characteristics of the lamp are indicated on the package, and only after studying them, you can choose the most optimal option for yourself.
