Incandescent light bulbs are considered to be lower in efficiency compared to LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs for several reasons:
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Energy Conversion: Incandescent bulbs operate by passing an electric current through a thin wire filament, which produces light as the filament heats up. However, this process is highly inefficient because only about 10% of the energy consumed is converted into visible light, while the rest is lost as heat. On the other hand, LEDs convert a larger portion of energy directly into light, resulting in significant energy savings.
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Luminous Efficacy: Luminous efficacy is a measure of how well a light source produces visible light. Incandescent bulbs typically have a luminous efficacy of about 10-17 lumens per watt (lm/W), whereas modern LED bulbs can produce anywhere from 80 to over 160 lumens per watt. This means that LEDs provide more light output for the same amount of electrical input.
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Lifespan: Incandescent bulbs have a relatively short lifespan, usually lasting about 1,000 hours. In contrast, LED bulbs can last 15,000 to 50,000 hours or more. Longer-lasting bulbs reduce the frequency of replacement, which contributes to lower energy consumption and waste over time.
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Heat Emission: Since incandescent bulbs release a significant amount of their energy as heat, they can contribute to higher cooling costs in warm climates. LED bulbs produce significantly less heat, contributing to overall energy savings in both lighting and cooling.
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Environmental Impact: The lower energy consumption of LEDs translates to reduced greenhouse gas emissions when the electricity used by these bulbs is generated from fossil fuels. This makes LED bulbs more environmentally friendly in terms of their lifecycle impact.
Overall, the combination of higher efficiency in energy use, longer lifespan, lower heat emission, and reduced environmental impact makes LED bulbs a superior choice compared to incandescent bulbs.
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