We’ve been big LED Lighting advocates for quite a while and we’ve explored the myriad of benefits to retrofitting your existing lighting systems to LED. Yet while we’ve been talking about the good of LED lighting for a range of industries, of course questions have arose. Whether it’s the benefits of LED Strip Light in residential properties, or the best way to utilize LED Rope Lighting for commercial store environments, we’ve received quite a few. LED Lighting in itself is a brand-new industry – and a lot of people are still learning.

We’ve attempted to dispel a few of the myths about LED Lighting in a plain English method, so read on for some common topics.

1- Will LED Lighting damage my eyesight?

There’s all kinds of hocus-pocus around LED lighting, as there was about just about every new and substantial improvement to existing technologies. For instance, popular misconceptions about Digital Television included needing a new TV set. For LED Lighting, a few rumours have flown about, including the alarming theory that a particular wavelength from LED lighting is harmful to the human eye – and too much exposure can result in glaucoma and blindness. The answer is a complete No, this is both factually incorrect and scaremongering. LED Lighting doesn’t approach the UV band. In fact, the UV radiation from older CFL bulbs is far higher than the LED equivalent. Even CFLs are nothing in UV count compared to daylight.

2- How much light do I need?

Well. Light is officially measured in Lumens, but it’s somewhat complex to work out a lumen count every single time you purchase a bulb. If you insist on working it out yourself, roughly 10% of wattage is a lumen. For example, if you want an old styled 100w look for your rooms, go for a 10 lumen bulb. Prefer the more modern 60w? 6 lumens. It’s rough, but very simple to calculate wattage to approximate lumens. Most light manufacturers list a wattage conversion on the packaging of their product, so you likely won’t have to do this. If you’re still a little confused, there are a number of LED suppliers with a great team of specialists at the forefront, which can assist you with all manner of individual enquiries.

3- What is light "colour"?

This is where most people get confused. Light is officially measured in Lumens, and colour is measured in Kelvin. A really simple way of remembering what’s what is essentially as so – the lower the Kelvin rating, the warmer your light. For a look that emulates old light bulbs (soft and warm) a good choice would be a Kelvin rating of about 2700K. Combined with Lumens, you’d be after a bulb which is 2700K and 10 Lumen. For storefronts, obviously a brighter, lighter look is paramount. As you go up in the scale, the cooler the light’s colour becomes. 5000K for example is almost clinical. Suppliers can help with any of your questions with a variety of previews.

4- Can LED Lights be dimmable?

Absolutely. While you might have to pay a little more for dimmable bulbs, they’re in high supply and are no longer the unicorn of the LED Lighting range both off and online. Don’t feel that you won’t be able to get a dimmable in a light you prefer over another – just about every LED bulb on the spectrum can be dimmer compatible. Just please be advised that you may need the services of an electrician to change your dimmer switches if you want dimmables. LED lighting uses so little power, some dimmable switches simply can’t work with LED Lighting.

We hope that your retrofit will be a good one, and also that this guide provides all of the information you need to get your retrofit underway!