Halogen lamp or LED lamp? What can you choose to give light to your rooms?
Halogen bulbs have been lighting up our homes for the past 60 years. However, LED technology has brought about real innovation in the field of lighting technology and light design.
If you want to know the differences between these two lighting solutions and understand which type of light is best for you, read our article.
How do halogen lamps and LED lamps work?
How a halogen lamp is made
These bulbs have a tungsten filament that heats up when current is passed through it and glows, giving off heat and light. Inside the body of the bulb, in a capsule, compressed halogen gas is inserted, which prolongs its life.
How an LED lamp is made
An LED works completely differently as it uses a diode to convert the electric current flowing through it into visible light.
The technology is more advanced and uses electronic chips installed in the base of the bulb.
What differences do they have in their characteristics?
Wattage and brightness
In older generation light bulbs, wattage and brightness are directly related. It means the higher the power, the higher the brightness.
The introduction of LEDs has broken this relationship and wattage is no longer a relevant measure of brightness.
Instead, it is lumens that accurately and objectively indicate how bright a light bulb will be. The higher the number of lumens, the more light it will shed.
For example, an 18 Watt halogen bulb emits approximately 220 lumens, while an 18 Watt LED bulb emits 1300.
A 15 Watt LED bulb will be as bright as an 85 Watt halogen bulb.
You will therefore get a much higher level of brightness from LED lamps than from halogen ones. And with a lower wattage.
Color temperature
A halogen bulb has a fixed color temperature of 3000K (Kelvin degrees). A warm yellowish hue similar to that of a 2700K incandescent bulb.
One of the advantages of LED lamps is that they are available in many color temperatures, ranging from 1800K to 6500K.
You can find them at 2000K as soft warm white light, at 4000K as neutral pure white light and up to 6000K as cool bluish white light.
As you have seen, LED lights are characterized by different brightnesses and color temperatures. Therefore, they are much more customizable than halogen lamps.
This means it's easier for you to find an LED bulb that fits your exact needs.
Stability
LED lamps reach full brightness immediately after you turn them on and are unaffected by frequent on/off cycling.
Unlike halogen lamps, in fact, you can turn them on and off for short periods, always maintaining a stable light.
Energy efficiency
If you've touched a lit halogen bulb, you know they get very hot. This happens because halogens waste 80% of their energy as heat and only 20% is used to create light.
LED lamps, on the other hand, consume up to 85% less energy while producing the same amount of light.
Their use translates into better energy efficiency and savings on bills.
Heat production
If you use a number of halogen bulbs in a small area, in addition to increasing running costs, consider that the heat released can increase the ambient temperature of your space.
It also increases the risk of fire, especially if you use the wrong lamp for your fixture or if you place it too close to combustible materials.
Ultraviolet and infrared light
Halogen lamps emit ultraviolet (UV) radiation and infrared (IR) light. If you want accent lighting to highlight your artwork, you'll want a glass or quartz filter to prevent photons from halogen damage.
LEDs, on the other hand, emit minimal ultraviolet and infrared radiation and therefore you could use them without the need to resort to filters.
Duration
Halogen bulbs do not have a long life. In fact, the filaments are sensitive to vibrations and energy peaks that can cause them to break.
LEDs are generally more durable and one reason is that they don't have a filament inside.
Typically, LED lights last over 25,000 hours while good quality halogen bulbs last 3,600 hours.
For LEDs this translates into an expected lifespan of over 15 years, compared to the estimated 2-3 years for a halogen bulb based on 4 hours of use per day.
If you want to install recessed lights or on high ceilings that are inaccessible, LED lamps are particularly suitable as replacing a halogen would be difficult.
Conclusions
Halogen lights are cheaper to buy but they burn out faster than LED lights and are also very inefficient.
LED lamps are more expensive but more energy efficient.
They also have a longer life and offer you more choice regarding color temperature and the possibility of personalizing your spaces through light design.
And this allows you to offset the initial investment you made.
If you need advice for your LED lighting or want to find out more about halogen bulbs, please contact us. We will be happy to help you
