LED vs Halogen Lights…Which one is better? That’s a question that many people ask. No longer do we have just one white light bulb to choose from. There are now many options out there and you want to make sure you are using the best light bulbs you possible can. With this article I am going to point out a few differences between the LED light bulb and the Halogen light bulb. Hopefully it will help you decide which light is best for you.
Cost
Let’s face it, we all want to save money. And when it comes to cost, halogen light bulbs are your best bet. That is if you want a cheap light bulb with a high light bill. You see, you can find a halogen light bulb for about $5. Compare that to about $50 for the best LED light bulb. That’s a big difference. LED light bulbs literally cost 10 times more than halogen light bulbs. This high cost is because it is still expensive to produce this type of light bulb. However, with that high cost you are getting long life and efficiency. So even though the initial cost is pretty high, the amount you save in the long run will surpass that cost.
In addition, the technology used to manufacture LED light bulbs is improving all of the time. And as the technology improves, the cost will fall even further. I do believe there will be a time in our immediate future when we will see LEDs as cheap as halogen bulbs.
Lifespan
The amount of time each light bulb lasts is probably one of the biggest differences between the two. Halogen light bulbs can last for a maximum of 6,000 hours. And though that is quite a bit of time, it pails in comparison to the 50,000 hours that LED light bulbs can last.
LED lights are also more robust then halogen lights. Halogen lights can easily break. You have to be very careful when you are moving them. They also have a wire filament in them that can pop at any time. LED lights are less likely to break. They don’t use a wire filament and can therefore last much longer.
Heat
As we all know, regular light bulbs can literally fill a room with heat. Thankfully, both halogen and LED’s give off less heat then a regular incandescent light bulb. With a halogen light bulb, about 90 percent of the energy they give off is heat. So even though it doesn’t give off as much heat as a regular light bulb, it still gives off quite a bit.
Sometimes the heat can be so intense that it can cause damage. That’s why places such as art galleries don’t use this type of light bulb. It can potentially damage the art. However, on the other end of the spectrum we have the LED light which only gives off about a fraction of heat. Big different right? LED lights are more ideal for heat sensitive situations.
Dimming Capabilities
This is probably the one area where a halogen light comes out on top. Halogen light bulbs can be used with a dimmer and maintain performance. A LED light bulb can’t work as well with a dimmer. Even the most expensive LED’s will lose their performance at some point when they are used with a dimmer.
Colors
If you like colors then LED light bulbs are your friend. LED’s can come in a variety of colors such as red, green and blue. You can literally transform a room with this type of light bulb. The halogen light on the other hand only comes in one color, and that is white. So you don’t have a lot of styling options with the halogen bulb.
Features
Halogen light bulbs contain halogen. The halogen helps to push tungsten back into the filament which can help the bulb last longer. LED’s are very small light bulbs and can be clustered together to increase the lifespan of the light bulb.
Efficiency
Its no secret that LED lights are very energy efficient. They product more light then heat which help cut costs. Some ever say that they can cut your lighting bill by about 80%. That equals huge savings for you. Halogen lights actually do the opposite. They produce more heat then light. This means your light costs can go up by using a halogen light bulb. When you really think about it, a halogen light bulb is almost just the same as a incandescent light bulb.
So as you can see, there are many differences between the LED light bulb and the halogen light bulb. But when you look at all the facts, you will see that LED light bulbs are by far the better choice. When you look at all the factors that we have compared in this article, they come out on top in all of them expect for one.
So if you are looking for a light bulb that lasts long, is energy efficient and can help you save money, choose the LED light bulb. Yes, it might cost more upfront, but in the long run the savings will be well worth it.
