A Guide to LED Lamps and Spotlights

What is an LED light?

LED stands for 'light emitting diode' and is a semi-conductor device that turns electricity into light. This device is then encased within a lamp or fixture, thus becoming an LED light you can use in your home. Rudimental LED lighting was first developed in the 1960s, approximately 100 years after the invention of the original incandescent bulb, but it wasn’t until the 90s that they became widely-known for their lighting capabilities. Their efficiency, lifespan and versatility are significantly higher than traditional lighting methods, such as incandescent and fluorescent.

The different types of LED lighting

LED Lighting Fundamentally, there are three different types of LED technology that are used in LED lighting – DIP, SMD and COB.

Dual In-Line Package (DIP) LEDs

DIP LED chips are the original LED chips and what many recall when they think of LED lighting. While they're older than their younger counterparts, DIP LED chips are still in use today and are more often found built-into electronics due to their diminutive size. They're not very powerful though, and can only emit a limited amount of brightness.

Surface Mounted Diode (SMD) LEDs

These are mounted and soldered onto the circuit board, and are probably the most common type of LED chip available. They are brighter than their DIP predecessors and are also smaller, so even more versatile when it comes to encasing them within smaller electronics or across different types of lighting, such as strip lighting. You can put three diodes on a single SMD chip, which means you can create a range of different colours, offering consumers greater variety. This has been a massive development in the LED market. The two most common types of SMD chip sizes are SMD 3528 and SMD 5050 – the former is 3.5mm wide and the latter is 5mm.

Chip on Board (COB) LEDs

These chips represent the latest development in LED technology. COB LED chips are the brightest out of the three, typically being able to pack nine or more diodes onto a single chip. What does this mean for LED lighting? Well, firstly, it improves the brightness-to-energy output, thus increasing lighting efficiency. This also means they can be used across a wide range of different types of lighting. However, it's worth noting that due to the circuitry makeup of a COB LED chip, they're unable to emit an eclectic range of different colours.

Benefits of LED lighting against traditional lighting

The LED lighting industry is predicted to explode over the next few years. Their popularity among consumers and businesses alike is set to sky-rocket, not least from the impact of a ban on incandescent and halogen bulbs that came into play in 2018. Why was there a ban? Well that comes down to the many benefits LED lighting has over their traditional counterparts: halogen and incandescent. Halogen and Incandescent Lamps vs LED Lamps Firstly, LED lighting uses up to 90% less energy than incandescent and halogen lamps, and up to 60% less energy than CFL lamps – which were the first energy-efficient bulbs to be widely sold. This can vary according to the type of fitting chosen, but the LED remains the leader when it comes to efficiency. LED lighting is far greener than traditional lighting, helping domestic and commercial properties lower their carbon footprint and improve their green credentials and energy ratings - a great advantage for businesses who are being pressured to meet government incentives and energy quotas. With increased efficiency, comes lower energy bills – something everyone can benefit from. Lighting is one of the highest consumers of electricity in your household. Switching all of your lighting to LED will help you save hundreds of pounds per-year.

LED spotlights and lamps also last far longer than halogen, incandescent and CFL. While older lighting often lasts barely a year, if not just a few months, LED lighting has a 15-year average lifespan, giving you far better value for money and saving on replacement lamps too. The light that LEDs beam come in a variety of shades of white light – which is measured in Kelvins. This means you can pick different shades of light to match different rooms, styles and decors – so you can really personalise living and work areas to your own tastes.

Types of LED fittings

In the past, LED lamps weren't always available in the same fittings as traditional lamps. This has completely changed. Now they're available in a variety of fittings to suit your needs, so everyone can benefit from energy-saving LEDs.

Types of LED spotlight fittings

LED Spotlights in a kitchen Spotlights are incredibly popular in the modern household. They can be used to highlight decorative items in a stylish way, and are also practical thanks to a flat shape and narrow and wide beam options. Like with the modern LED bulb, the LED spotlight is equally versatile and can often be fitted without additional help from an electrician.

Ceiling lights

LED Ceiling Light Ceiling lights – also known as downlights – are larger spotlight fittings that are often found in more industrial or commercial settings because they are available with higher lumen values. More advanced models come with a PMMA diffuser that helps to create an even light output, which is particularly useful for lighting up larger areas.

Fire rated Downlights

Fire rated downlights offer an 'all-in-one' solution, with a fitting and spotlight both included. These downlights also offer extra peace of mind because they've been tested to fire safety standards to prevent fire from penetrating surrounding areas, such as ceilings and loft spaces above.

Do you need an LED transformer for LED bulbs

Most LED spotlights and lamps are 'retrofit'. This means that when replacing a halogen or incandescent lamp you can simply pop, screw or clip your LED's into your existing light fittings without the need for an electrician. There are however certain lamps and spotlights – most notably MR16 and MR11s – that need a constant power supply to operate effectively, so they run off what's called a 'transformer'. A transformer is essentially a power-pack that's used to power your lighting. 12 Volt transformers that are used to power halogen MR11s and MR16s have a minimum load requirement – this is the minimum amount of voltage the transformer needs to power the bulbs they're connected to. Because LEDs use such a small amount of power, they often don't meet this minimum load requirement. While they may still work, it can detrimentally affect the lifespan of the bulbs. So it's advised that you invest in an LED compatible transformer for your new LED bulbs to maintain the quality of their light and their lifespan.

Dimmable lamps

LED lamps can also dim when fitted with a compatible dimmer switch. You need to ensure that the lamp you purchase has a dimming function, but they will state this on the specifications. The main thing to consider is whether your current dimmer switch can operate an LED, or whether you need an LED compatible dimmer. Most leading edge dimmer switches – which are the most popular for dimming halogen lamps – have a minimum wattage load of 60W – which is far too high for energy efficient LEDs. If this is the case, you'll need an LED dimmer switch.

LED spotlight beam angles

Beam angle is the angle at which a spotlight casts it light and, in turn, the amount of area that's covered with light. The wider the spotlight beam angle = the more area below covered with light. Halogen spotlight beam angles are restricted to approximately 40 degree angles at most. This means they can only ever offer narrow beam angles. However, LED spotlights are far more versatile. You can still get narrow beam angles which are ideal for decorative areas, but you can also get wider beam angles of 60-110 degrees that are perfect for lighting-up those larger areas, such as living spaces and dining rooms.

LED colour temperatures

As mentioned before, LED spotlights and lamps are able to cast different shades of white light, giving you more options when renovating your home or upgrading your lighting. This is known as LED colour temperature, which is measured in 'Kelvins'. The higher the Kelvin rating, the 'whiter' or 'cooler' the light. There are 4 main colour temperatures to choose from:
• Very warm white (under 2700K)
• Warm white (2700-3200K)
• Daylight (4000K-5000K)
• Cool white (5500K-6500K)

Traditional lamps – such as incandescent and halogen – have only ever been able to offer warm white tones, so this evolution in lighting has given people far more flexibility when creating lighting plans. Kelvins, however, aren't to be confused with Lumens, which measure brightness.

Lumens vs Wattage, and what you should look out for

Traditionally if you wanted to buy a brighter lamp you'd shop for a higher wattage. However, this is very misleading, particularly when it comes to LED lighting. Instead, you need to look for lumens. Lumens are the only accurate measurement of a lamps brightness. For instance, an LED may consume far less energy – or wattage – than a halogen equivalent, but still have the same level of brightness (lumens). For example, a 50 Watt halogen GU10 spotlight will emit approximately 400 lumens, however a 5 Watt LED GU10 spotlight will also emit 400 lumens. The only difference is that the LED GU10 consumes a tenth of the energy to reach that level of brightness. You now have everything you need to make informed purchases of LED light bulbs and spotlights. You can view our LED light bulbs here, and LED spotlights here.