Which would I put on, LEDs or halogens? Led is so expensive. A familiar twist?
The price, light output and reliability of LED lights are now better than ever. Why would you buy an old consumable halogen lamp anymore? No more constant changing of light bulbs or expensive electricity bills! Led lights have a good colour rendering index and a wide range of features to choose from. You can choose either warm or neutral white light and in most cases dimming is also possible.
EDIT: Sales of halogen lights have been discontinued following the introduction of the new Energy label.
Led or halogen?
Halogen lamp |
LED light |
| Lamp life 2500 hours | Lamp life 50000 hours |
| Lamp age 1X | Age of the lamp 25X |
| Lamp temperature 250°C | Lamp temperature max. 50°C |
| Power consumption 50W (5.5X) | Power consumption 9W (1X) |
| Luminous Flux @ 1m 500 Lux | Luminous Flux @ 1m 600 Lux |
| Luminous Eff. 12 lumens/w | Luminous Eff. 90 lumens/w |
| Light colour only one | Light colour Several options |
| Light hue stability Poor | Light hue stability Good |
| UV or IR radiation Yes | UV or IR radiation No |
| Heavy metals Yes | Heavy metals No |
| Impact resistant No | Impact resistant Yes |
| Purchase price Cheap | Purchase price Expensive |
| Long-term price Expensive | Long term price Affordable |
6 biggest advantages of LED lights compared to Halogen
Temperature
Halogen spots produce too much heat (> 250°C), which damages the objects they illuminate.
Obviously, these temperatures can be dangerous if the lamp comes into contact with skin or flammable materials.
The effect of temperature must be taken into account, especially when illuminating art or in a small space.
The average temperature of the LED is only 70°C. The lamps are safe to handle and will not burn your fingers. In addition, less waste heat released also means less ventilation in the room, so you’re already spending money at the design and construction stage.
LED does not need expensive, unnecessary protective hoods for installation, which usually reduce the amount of insulation in the house!
Electricity bills
Halogen lights are not as energy efficient as LED spotlights.
Halogen lamps also produce IR radiation, where most of the energy is lost as heat.
For example, a 9W LED can produce light equivalent to 50-75W halogen. LEDs can produce mono light and use a collimating lens to direct the light. This way, no energy is wasted as heat. LED lights can save up to 80% on your lighting bills!
No UV radiation
Quartz filament, on which halogens are largely based, emits high levels of UV radiation, which also requires glass in the lamp and precise production and approved shielding. Check your own light bulbs!
LEDs do not emit UV radiation, so the light and light are safe for the skin.
Life expectancy
According to major halogen manufacturers’ catalogues, the average age of a halogen is 2500 hours (only 104 days!).
The average lifetime of LED lights is 50,000 hours (that’s 5 years and 8 months!). Therefore, LED reduces maintenance costs dramatically.
Wider colour temperature range (CCT) and colour selection
Halogen lights have a colour temperature between 2800 K and 3500 K depending on the manufacturer and the type of lamp. Some manufacturers manage to achieve a colour temperature of up to 4700 K.
LED offers many colour choices, including warm white (2800K – 3800K), cool white (4000K – 7000K), red, blue, green, yellow and even RGB colour mixing. In addition, LEDs retain their colour for a long time, although unlike Halogen which changes colour very quickly in use.
No passive faults
The filament in a halogen lamp is pressurised and very weak. Quartz The capsule MUST NOT be touched with bare hands, as oil and fingerprints can corrode the quartz and weaken it. At the end of its life, the filament inside the coil of the capsule may touch the quartz and melt into it while it is still hot. This event can even shatter a halogen lamp.
Thanks to LED soldering technology, the LED is not fragile or contains no moving parts, making the light robust, shock-resistant, and safe to touch.