LED lighting is often touted with massive lifetime benefits, some touting that you will never have to replace them. Sadly, this is rarely the case, especially if the installed property is a commercial or common area residential space where lighting can operate up to 24/7. On average, the lifetime of most LEDs is around 50,000 hours. It has even been estimated that LEDs could last up to 100,000 hours in the next five years.
Whereas LED is a vast improvement in many ways (including longevity) over traditional halogen and fluorescent lighting, its lifetime can depend on a number of issues including:
Quality of lamp (you get what you pay for)
Regularity of switching
Operating hours (as you can see from the chart above there is a degredation of output over time)
Type of fitting in which the lamp is installed (heat dissipation) Ambient operating temperature
The lifetime of LED's is dependent on the components. That is why it is necessary for LED lights to be maintained.
Here are some tips about how to maintain them.
Tips for Maintaining Your LED Lighting
Choose Appropriate LEDs
These days there is lots of choice when it comes to LEDs in the market. It’s important to invest in a quality product as it can minimize the cost of maintenance. You also need to make sure the color temperature, lumen, color rendering index are what you want.
Clean Them Regularly
LEDs, still need regular maintenance like cleaning. The dust and debris cause shortages. Units of the lighting need to be cleaned regularly. It’s helpful to extend the lifetime of your LED globes or lights
Avoid High Temperature and Humidity
The environment, including working temperature and storing temperature, is a very important factor in the lifetime of LED lights. Too hot or too wet environments will decrease the working time of lights for it will affect the electronic components inside.
Perform Inspections
Make sure that you perform occasional inspections on your LED lights to ensure they are running properly. There are also instances where a flickering or dead low voltage lamp can be simply repaired by replacing just the low voltage driver (where stock is available).
BPL promotes provisioning for eventual replacement of LED light fittings and bulbs wherever possible. For projects we usually provide a payback estimation which includes the amortization of the lamps installed over the expected lifetime of the lamps. Whilst this detrimentally affects the life of the payback, it is a more accurate representation of the cost of the lighting vs the current lighting being replaced. This figure can then be used in budgeting for eventual maintenance or replacement. Drawing on an already provisioned maintenance reserve if often a lot simpler than getting a new capex approval, so appropriate planning can go a long way to managing everyone’s expectations.
As LED lighting reaches its end of life, you may notice:
Flickering (can be a failed chip or Low voltage driver)
Dead lamp/failure (driver or lamp)
Light depreciation (a LED’s life is generally regarded as 70% of its original brightness or L70)
If your LED lighting installation requires maintenance or assessment of the depreciated light output, BPL can undertake a free assessment and quotation by calling 1300 181 090 or emailing info@bestpracticelighting.com.au.
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