WHICH magazine has recently highlighted the benefits of switching to LED lights and their ‘best buys’ for replacement bulbs

The drawbacks of Fluorescent Lighting…

1. Failure From Frequent Switching– Fluorescent lights tend to burn out faster when integrated with occupancy sensors and other controls. In contrast, LEDs work perfectly with control systems, since their life is not affected by turning them on/off.
2. They Contain Mercury– LED lighting is Mercury Free; making them safer for the environment with no disposal or recycling fees.
3. The ‘Buzz’ with Ballast– LED operate silently.
4. Unstable Lighting Quality– LEDs produce light in a variety of colour temperatures similar to fluorescent, but don’t have any flickering issues.
5. Not As Efficient– The latest T8 LEDs are around 30% more efficient than T8 CFLs.
6. Most Fluorescents Cannot Be Dimmed– LEDs have full dimming capabilities; fluorescents are expensive to dim and do so poorly.
7. Light from a Fluorescent Bulb Is Non-Directional– 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.
8 Lifespan- Compared to only 30,000 hours for fluorescent, the average lifespan of a T8 LED is 50,000 hours