What makes an LED so much better than traditional types of lighting? There are many factors, including efficiency, versatility, safety, durability, longevity, and lighting quality. This blog will explore many of these attributes. Today, we examine heat output.

The infrared image below shows a 4.5W Seesmart® household bulb beside a 60W incandescent (right) and a 13W fluorescent (left).  All three bulbs are on. Notice that the LED is at just 35.6°C. The fluorescent hits 98°C, the incandescent 107°C.

The temperature difference is a consequence of the varying efficiency of the lights. LEDs operate at 90% efficiency: that’s twice the efficiency of CFLs. For this reason, people often find that they can significantly reduce their HVAC cycles when they replace metal halides, halogens, incandescents, or fluorescents with LEDs on a large scale. And LEDs stay cool to the touch, so you needn’t worry about burning yourself when finally (after 3-10 years) you have to replace a light. More food for thought…

Infrared photo showing difference in heat emission of a Seesmart LED (center), a fluorescent light (left) and an incandescent (right).