Are All LED Bulbs Created Equal?

A lot of people ask me "are all LED bulbs the same?" Well, the answer is no. While LED lighting has come a long way, it was only about two years ago when power companies all over the country and entities such as NYSERDA (New York State energy research and development) would not give rebates on LED lamps. The reason being is how long they might last. When a slew of LED bulbs started emerging out of China, some were tested and found to have little life expectancy. So in essence it was like the wild, wild west. You really did not know what you were going to get when you purchased one and no one was going to guarantee them or give a rebate on the product.The good news is that Light Emitting Diode (LED) products have improved but not all. When purchasing lamps for business or even your home, you should find out if a lamp has been approved by the DLC (Design Lights Consortium) they promote quality, performance and energy efficient commercial lighting solutions through federal, state, utilities, lighting designers and manufacturers throughout the USA and Canada. An energy efficient LED lamp or bulb that has been tested and approved by the DLC does a few things. They are guaranteed to last and they will also qualify for rebates.


Now if you go to Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Target etc. many of the LED bulbs offered for sale DO NOT carry DLC approval. If you look on the box, in small print, you may read something like- will last 6 years if used one hour a day. Most people use light more than one hour a day! DLC approved bulbs can qualify for rebates on average of $5- $15 per lamp or more depending on the entity for which the rebate is applied to. So, in general look for DLC approved bulbs or check the DLC website. A 15,000 hour LED lamp more than likely won't qualify while a 50,000 hour lamp would. Big difference in quality.Next is lumen output. This is important because you can replace a 40 watt incandescant lamp with an LED bulb but make sure the lumen output of the LED lamp is similar to what you are going to replace. So a 40 watt incandescant light bulb emits about 450 lumens while a 4-5 watt LED emits about the same. The incandescant lamp will last about 1,200 hours while an LED could last 50,000 hours or more depending on the product.So in general, buyer beware. There are great LED products out there if you know what to look for and where to buy.