When you build a new house or office space in the Philippines, you should always consider the ceiling lights and other lighting fixtures you want to install. Lights do not only illuminate rooms, but they also play a big role in enhancing and making your space appear bigger or more spacious.
Before, the most common lights used were incandescent light bulbs. They were invented by Thomas Edison in 1879 and were reproduced and sold in the market. These incandescent light bulbs are made of a glass enclosure that contains a tungsten filament. For these to produce light, an electric current passes through the tungsten filament to heat it up.
As brilliant as this product may seem, there were quite a few downsides to using it. The main disadvantage of an incandescent bulb is it costs a lot of money to use and maintain because it requires more energy to run. Moreover, the quality of light it produces is limited—it ranks low on the color temperature scale, which is why most of these bulbs have an orange tone. As we all know, warm, orange tones are not ideal for areas that need clear and sharp lighting. Lastly, incandescent bulbs are fragile and prone to heating dangers since the glass used is thinner.
Because of the disadvantages above, a better lighting solution was made. Bulbs made with light-emitting diodes or LEDs were introduced, and these products generate up to 90% more light than incandescent light bulbs.
Since LED lights provide improved lighting quality, these fixtures quickly became in demand in the Philippines. In fact, business owners and homeowners in the country prefer using different kinds of LED products, from ceiling fans with lights to strip lights. If you plan to use them in your next lighting project, you can easily connect with Ecoshift Corporation to supply you with top-quality and durable LED lights.
Before ordering from us, it is best to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of using LED lights in the Philippines. Here are some of them:
Pro: Long Life Span
LED lights are among the top modern lighting methods nowadays because of how long they last. Unlike traditional light bulbs, these don’t require regular replacement because of how they operate. LED lights in the Philippines produce illumination by passing an electric current through the diode, which emits light through non-thermal conversion of electrical energy or electroluminescence.
With this method, LED lights can have a life span of at least 50,000 hours, and if you use them every day for 10 hours, they can serve you for 14 years. Incandescent bulbs, on the other hand, can only operate for about 750 hours to a maximum of 2,000 hours.
Con: Higher Upfront Costs
Not all good things come at a lower upfront cost. Because of the advantages LED lights provide in the long run, you may have to invest in them first. The price of LED ceiling light products in the Philippines is much higher because LED bulbs are far more complex than halogen or incandescent lights.
For starters, the technology behind the bulb itself and the manufacturing process is more sophisticated, innovative, and studied by different manufacturers. In addition, LED lights have more parts and sensitive components on their circuit board that have to be assembled manually.
Nevertheless, the price you will pay upfront when buying LED ceiling lights in the Philippines will be worth it after using the products for a long period.
Pro: Design Flexibility
Your imagination is the limit when it comes to LED lights. The standard size of an LED is 5mm. However, there are 3mm LEDs, too, that are specifically made to fit tight spaces. With this size range, they can be used in almost any application, from small LED strip lights to big LED ceiling lights that are perfect for any area you are building in the Philippines.
In addition, these LED lights can be enclosed in beautiful and durable light fixtures and housings, like the ones offered by Ecoshift. These fixtures will add character and sophistication to any plain space in your office or room.
Con: Possible Color Shift Over Lamp Life
There are three basic components inside an LED. These are the board, die, and phosphor. The board is where everything is built, the die is the semiconductor, and the phosphor is responsible for emitting various shades of color.
When creating light, heat and UV radiation are emitted, and these two degrade the phosphor over time. As a result, LEDs that once gave off white light might undergo a color shift and turn a bit blue, pink, or green.
This color shift is inevitable. However, since LED lights in the Philippines only emit a tiny amount of heat and UV, it will not happen when your LED lights are still brand new.
Pro: Energy Efficiency
When you’re using several lights inside your house or office, you will want lighting products that will not increase your electricity bill.
LED lights are far more energy-efficient compared to traditional lighting products because of the way they produce illumination. Incandescent light bulbs waste about 90% of the electricity they consume as heat because the filament inside them needs to be extremely hot to give off light.
Meanwhile, LED lights do not use filaments. Instead, they rely on semiconductors to generate light and, therefore, use far less wattage to produce the same light output.
Con: Transformer Compatibility
LED lights need the right voltage to work properly. Given that, all LED bulbs require transformers, and they may be built into the casing or located externally.
Lighting transformers can reduce or control the voltage to the appropriate level relative to the bulb being powered. Without them, a current will run unregulated, resulting in failure and inefficiency.
It will be a disadvantage if you fail to find compatible transformers for LED lights with different load and output compatibility.
Pro: Small Amount of Heat or UV Emissions
Every lighting product emits heat and ultraviolet rays for it to function. However, traditional ones like incandescent and fluorescent lights are known to produce more heat and UV radiation than LED lights. This is because the more heat they make, the more UV rays they emit, and since incandescent lights use heat to give off illumination, they tend to heat up more.
As a matter of fact, some LED lights emit no UV radiation at all. Those that do, however, produce just a tiny amount of UV rays that are not dangerous or do not affect people’s health. In some cases, LED lights in the Philippines are designed to produce UV light. These are used in medical treatments, tanning, photography, and chemistry.
Con: May Cause Blue Pollution
During the rise of LED lights, people switched from fluorescent lights to LED ceiling lights for energy efficiency and a longer life span. As a consequence, the amount of artificial light coming from the Earth’s surface has increased by two percent every year for the past four years.
Blue pollution has a lot of effects on people’s health and the environment. For starters, it disrupts our body’s natural sleep cycle. Furthermore, it interferes with biological clocks, plant growth, pollination, reproduction, migration, predation, and communication.
Pro: Environmentally Friendly
Despite LED lights’ contribution to blue pollution, they are still a better option than incandescent and fluorescent lights. First, LED products use less energy, so the demand from power plants reduces and greenhouse gas emissions decrease.
In addition, LED lights contain no toxic elements. Chemicals like mercury are found in fluorescent lights, which eventually become landfill waste. These are dangerous to the environment and people who might come in contact with them.
Con: Possible Overheating
Although unlikely, LED lights can overheat too. LEDs are capable of running at high temperatures, but there is also a limit on how much LED light can handle the heat. Overheating will only happen if there is inadequate heat sinking and excess LED power.
To prevent this, make sure to follow the LED specification given by manufacturers. Furthermore, consider if the LED fixture or housing has enough space and does not enclose the bulb too much. Lastly, check the mounting position of your LED lights and ensure that there are no obstructions that will block the heat dispersion of the product.
Pro: Dimming Capabilities
LED lights are dimmable and can be controlled to produce the ambiance you are going for. Some LED lights have built-in dimmers that can be adjusted from high, medium, and low-intensity illumination.
If you purchase an LED light that is not automatically dimmable, you can always install an LED dimmer switch. This will allow you to convert your simple LED light into a better task or ambient lighting product.
Conclusion
Our modern technology has given us the best lighting solution that we can use anywhere, from homes and offices to malls and stadiums. Take advantage of it and use LED lights for your next lighting project. Reach out to Ecoshift today, and choose us as your direct lighting supplier!