Controlling LEDs Part 2 - Advantages and Limitations of LEDs for General Illumination

LEDs Advantages for General Illumination

• High Efficacy (Lumens per Watt) LED-based lighting fixtures can achieve efficacies ranging from 25 LPW to over 80 LPW, compared to an incandescent efficacy of 5-10 LPW.
• Longevity LEDs can achieve useful lifetimes ranging from 25,000 hours to up to 100,000 hours, compared to ~1000 hours for an incandescent. 
• LEDs do not contain hazardous materials as compared to mercury vapor in CFLi bulbs.

LEDs Limitations for General Illumination

• Higher cost High Brightness LEDs, necessary for general illumination, are expensive. They also require electronic drivers to convert conventional AC voltage to discrete DC voltages for the LED arrays.
• Limited Applications Due to the relatively young technology and timeline for wide acceptance, LED-based lighting fixtures are not always available for every application or aesthetic requirement. 
• Controls compatibility Due to the wide range of LED-based lighting product types, not all LED lamps are dimmable, and the ones that can be dimmed may be limited in dimming performance and system compatibility.