LED Lampen und LED Leuchtmittel (2402 Artikel)

Why switch to LED lamps and what should you look out for?

LEDs have now almost completely replaced incandescent bulbs and halogen lamps on the market. Even the formerly very efficient energy-saving lamps are increasingly being replaced by LED light sources. There are many reasons to switch to LED lamps:

Advantages of LED lamps

• Very long service life of up to 60,000 hours and 100,000 switching cycles.
• Very high energy efficiency and good lumen per watt ratio
• Less harmful substances used than in classic energy-saving bulbs
• Different light colors possible
• Full brightness after switching on
• Low heat generation
• Very resistant even to shocks
• No emission of UV radiation
• LED lamps are available in various shapes

Further advantages of LED lamps

Disadvantages of LED lamps

• Usually more expensive than classic lighting
• Color rendering is sometimes worse than with halogen or incandescent bulbs
• High ambient temperatures can have a negative effect on service life

Which LED bulb can be used as a replacement?

This question arises at the latest when switching to LED light sources for the reasons mentioned above. The decisive factor is generally the luminous efficacy (lumens), which should be used as a comparison. As the lumen output (lm) is often not written on the light source intended for replacement, we would like to give a rough estimate here based on the wattage.

Why do I suddenly feel uncomfortable with the newly installed LED?

When the first LED lighting is installed, the light is usually perceived differently to conventional light. Who hasn't been in a restaurant in the sanitary facilities, looked in the mirror and thought, my God, I look totally pale and ill. The second most important thing to consider when purchasing LED lights, apart from the wattage, is the light color or color temperature. Conventional light bulbs emit a very warm light with approx. 2700 Kelvin. Halogen lamps are around 3000 Kelvin. LED light bulbs, however, can emit different wavelengths. This means that if a warm light was previously installed and then an LED with 4000K or even 6500K is used, the LED light can be perceived as very unpleasant.

When should a warm white light be used?

Wherever a feel-good factor is to be achieved, warm light in the 2700 - 3000 Kelvin color temperature range is recommended, e.g. an 830 LED lamp. This is because light has an influence on our biorhythm. This color temperature is usually expressed in the article name with the three numbers 827 (927) or 830 (930). Areas (rooms) in which warm LED light should be used are bathrooms, as indirect light in the living room, as indirect lighting in the bedroom, sales rooms and restaurants.

When should neutral white or daylight white light be used?

Coolwhite (cold) or daylight light is used wherever work is carried out or performance is required - a coolwhite Osram LED lamp is ideal here. The higher blue component in the light has a biorhythmic effect against tiredness and increases the ability to concentrate. The color temperature here is between 4000 and approx. 6500 Kelvin. Expressed in light-specific numbers as 840 (940) - 865 (965). This light color is recommended as hall lighting, as cold light in doctors' surgeries, in offices, in the kitchen, in cellar rooms, as bright light in underground garages, in workshops, LED outdoor lights, LED table lights.
However, it should be mentioned that such universal white light can also be used as general lighting in rooms where warm white light is normally used.

You can find an overview of light colors here.

Further information:

LED light sources are the future of lighting

LED light sources and their triumphant advance in recent years

The triumphant advance of artificial lighting began in 1879 when Thomas Alva Edison was able to operate a light bulb for over 40 hours after more than a thousand attempts. At that time, people would never have dreamed of the many possibilities for designing light.

Classic light sources made carbon filaments glow in a vacuum, which is how the name "light bulb" was coined for the bulb. It was Edison who invented the screw thread commonly used today, which most lamps and light bulbs still have today. Due to patent disputes, an alternative pin base for light bulbs was invented as early as 1893, some of whose descendants are used in miniaturized form in many applications. The luminous materials in light sources for general lighting were constantly improved. The carbon filament gave way to the metal wire used in today's incandescent lamps.

Fluorescent tubes and energy-saving lamps then represented the next evolutionary stage. LED lamps have been triumphant for a few years now and have a steadily growing fan base. Lovers of the "good old days" can even recapture the cozy atmosphere of a classic carbon filament lamp with the Filament LED lamp.

Energy consumption and waste heat lamps, EC regulation

Incandescent lamps, whether light bulbs or halogen lamps, have one major disadvantage: their energy consumption and the resulting waste heat. As part of climate protection measures, the EU has issued Directive 2009/244/EC, which regulates requirements for lighting and its energy efficiency. From 2019, only light sources that comply with energy efficiency class B or better may be sold.

This effectively means the end of the classic light bulb and most halogen lamps. Most LED lamps E27 base and LED lamps E14, GU10 base available today are an equal replacement for most applications in which incandescent lamps were previously used. Here, LED bulbs can bring their advantages to bear in sensitive areas, such as low heat generation and long service life. As LEDs do not contain mercury, unlike energy-saving lamps, they are also easier to dispose of.

In addition, no toxic substances are released in the event of breakage. Exceptions to this regulation are only permitted in special cases where classic incandescent lamps are required. These include hot areas such as ovens or use in certified emergency lighting systems and in areas where light bulbs must be impact-resistant.

Applications of LED systems

The ability to make LEDs compact opens up completely new possibilities in lighting design. Lamps and luminaires can be built much smaller, as there is no longer any dependence on the bulb shape of a light bulb. Nowadays, a complete LED luminaire including light source (lamp) can be produced in the size of a classic light bulb and does not require any special protection against accidental touching while maintaining the same brightness.

Innovative designs are possible with light tubes, which can be used as under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen or provide illumination in display cabinets. An LED lamp wall can be realized with small light sources and is an original eye-catcher. Due to their impact resistance and long service life, LED lamps (or encapsulated LED lights without replaceable light sources) are ideal for installation in hard-to-reach places.

Retrofit - what is it?

Retrofit (Vintage Edition) is the term used to describe the installation of new technologies in existing devices so that they can continue to be used. When conventional lamps are replaced by LED bulbs and the existing luminaire can continue to be operated without further modifications, this is referred to as a retrofit. The prerequisite in this case is that the LED "bulbs" have the same dimensions and identical connection.

The new light source could be made smaller, but as the light distribution would then change, this is not done. For this reason, the original size of the bulb or other original shape is retained for LED lamps. In the case of retrofits, care must also be taken to ensure that the new LED bulb or other light source is electrically compatible.

This is particularly important when using dimmers or ballasts with fluorescent tubes, as the new LED bulb may flicker on the dimmer.

Setting accents with light colors

Light color is an important component of light sources. White light is a mixture of all the colors of the spectrum. Naturally occurring light has a high proportion of red in the morning and evening, while midday light tends to be dominated by a bluish color. The latter is uplifting, while the golden yellow light has a calming effect.

Alternatively, colorful LED lamps can be used as splashes of color to create special accents in corners. In the professional sector, this is an argument that should not be underestimated when designing sales areas. To put this "light color" into a comparative grid, it is compared to a glowing piece of iron - the hotter it gets, the bluer the light emitted.

At a temperature of approx. 2800 Kelvin, this is yellowish, while the light color corresponding to daylight is around 6500 Kelvin. Classic candlelight is around 2000 Kelvin on this scale, light bulbs are 2800K, halogen lamps are 3000K, "neutral white" light sources such as fluorescent tubes in supermarkets are 4000K, and daylight is 6500K. In contrast to filament bulbs, LED light can be produced in almost any light color. Living room LED lamps illuminate the living room (or bedroom) with a light bulb-like 2800K, while LED lamps for the bathroom and kitchen emit a stimulating 6500K.

The only thing that needs to be ensured is a uniform light color in the room, as some people can react sensitively to mixed light. This happens quickly when the LED ceiling lamp shines in a new, cooler light color and a table lamp with an incandescent bulb is switched on.

Replacing classic light bulbs with an Edison thread

The first contact with LED light bulbs is when the last bulb in the ceiling light is defective and needs to be replaced. This is the least of the problems when choosing from the lamp store. However, as LED lighting consumes less power than an incandescent bulb with the same brightness, the power rating must be taken into account. As a rule of thumb, an LED bulb requires only around one seventh of the energy for the same light output.

With a color temperature of 2800K, the LED lamp ceiling guarantees the same light color as before. Moisture-protected luminaires are often installed in rooms such as workshops, cellars or outdoor areas. Strictly speaking, there are no LED lamps for damp rooms, as the LED lamps are protected from moisture by the housing of the luminaire. It is only important to ensure that the mechanical dimensions of the replacement light source fit into the moisture-proof luminaire or outdoor luminaire.

With LED lamps for workshops, it is advisable to choose light colors of 4000K or 6500K. This increases alertness and concentration and the higher blue component means that fine details are better perceived. Before buying lamps, however, you should consider replacing all the light sources in the room uniformly to avoid mixed light.

LED replacement for fluorescent tubes

In the commercial sector, larger areas are often illuminated with fluorescent tubes, as these have significantly better energy efficiency than classic light bulbs. These can often be easily replaced by LED ceiling lighting. It is important at this point that only starters and/or conventional ballasts are installed. LED starters are supplied with our LED tubes.

Some special LED tubes are also compatible with the newer ECGs (electronic ballasts). However, you should check in the lamp store before purchasing whether the ECG and tube are compatible. This applies in particular to high-quality damp-proof LED lamps, whose housings may contain concealed ballasts.
LED tubes vs fluorescent tubes

Replacement of halogen spotlights and pin base lamps

With advancing miniaturization (and improved heat dissipation options), replacement lamps are also available for recessed halogen spotlights, downlights or some halogen spotlights. These light sources, most of which have a pin base, can be replaced by GU5.3 LED lamps or GU10 LED lamps.

Alternatively, suitable 12 V LED lamps are available for low-voltage luminaires. The same applies here as for fluorescent tubes in that ballasts or transformers are installed. At this point, you should also check whether these are compatible before buying lamps online. This applies in particular to older systems that attach the light sources to openly tensioned cables.

Replacing the light sources is sometimes the best opportunity to replace the halogen transformer and retrofit additional functions such as dimming via remote control.

Special designs

Special lamp types such as the E27 LED lamp or the smallest pin-base models such as G9 LED lamps are also available with different bases. The LED lamp store even has replacements for some gas discharge lamps, which are normally used in lanterns and similar environments, and LEDs with all common bases. Small G4 LED lamps 12V can possibly breathe new life into a rarely used table lamp.

If LED lamps are to be used in the garden, it must be clarified whether the light sources will fit into the outdoor luminaires for higher wattages. These are sometimes thicker than the original light sources, especially at higher wattages, due to the number of small LEDs. This applies above all to LED light sources for spotlights that work with R7s rods.

Are LED lamps dimmable?

An anxious question that is often asked is whether existing dimmers can still be used. The answer to this is not so simple. In simple terms, it can be said that inexpensive LED lamps with a simple design are not dimmable. Lamps that are dimmable are labeled as such. However, there are other potential pitfalls here.

Dimmers are usually built as leading edge or trailing edge phase control dimmers. The former are simpler and cheaper to manufacture, often hum a little and are currently the most common type of dimmer. Most normal LED lamps are not compatible with these. Light sources specially labeled as dimmable have integrated electronics that work with the leading edge phase control method. The more modern trailing edge phase control dimmers are somewhat more expensive, but quieter and compatible with LED light sources.

Brand manufacturers such as Osram or Philips often publish detailed compatibility lists showing which dimmers the respective light sources have been tested with. These help when buying lamps online, as it is possible to assess compatibility before making a purchase. If devices such as ceiling washlights have a built-in trailing edge phase dimmer that is not compatible with the light sources, a little trick can help. The dimmer is set to full power so that it does not cut out, and an additional ballast dimmer using the trailing edge phase control method is connected upstream of the device.

LED lamps

LED light sources are a sustainable, safe and energy-saving light source. Particularly in ceiling lighting, which is usually fitted with many light sources, the power consumption in continuous operation becomes noticeable after some time. The freely selectable color temperature also has some advantages. Cool white light appears brighter, making the light losses on lampshades and other elements of the luminaire less noticeable.

LED lamps and brightness indicators

With modern LED lamps, wattage is no longer used as a brightness indicator. Instead, criteria such as luminous flux, light color and beam angle now define the characteristics that need to be taken into account when selecting the right light source. With LEDs, therefore, it is no longer just the wattage that matters, as even lamps with the same wattage can vary in brightness. Instead, the luminous flux in lumens (lm) can be used to determine and compare brightness more accurately.

LED bulbs: light colors and color temperatures

The color temperature of LED light sources is specified in Kelvin and provides information about the color of the light produced. In contrast to conventional light bulbs, which always have the same light color, modern LED light sources are available in different light colors. Warm white light in the range from 2,500 Kelvin to 3,500 Kelvin provides particularly pleasant light, which is ideal for rooms such as living rooms or bedrooms, while cool white light in the range above 5,000 Kelvin provides particularly bright light, which is mainly used in rooms such as offices or bathrooms.

Beam angle of LED light sources

The beam angle of LED lamps also affects the brightness of the lamp. This provides information about the angle at which the light generated by the LED is emitted into the room. The larger the diameter of the beam angle, the more area the LED lamp can illuminate in the room. At the same time, the brightness of the LED lamp decreases as the diameter of the beam angle increases.