Common Questions About LED Bulbs

05 October 2023

If you run a lighting retail shop, you’re bound to have customers asking all sorts of questions about LED bulbs. Despite being available commercially for quite some time now, there are still a lot of frequently asked questions, misconceptions, or confusion about LED bulbs.

In this blog, we answer some common customer questions about LED bulbs.

LED Lightbulbs – Why We Love Them!

From spotlights to strip lights, fancy decorative lamps and bulbs, and fairy lights, LED lamps and bulbs are now becoming the most popular choice for homeowners, especially as we’re seeing older, less efficient bulbs phased out.

LED lights have come a long way since their invention in the early 20^th century. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that LED light bulbs became available for homeowners (costing a pretty penny too!) and then became more popular in commercial buildings.

Thankfully, the cost of LED bulbs is now much more sensible, and there are tonnes of styles to choose from.
You may still have some questions though…read on for our answers to commonly asked LED bulb questions.

Do LED Light Bulbs Get Hot?

Yes…and no. Well, at least nowhere near as hot as halogen or incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs work completely differently from older bulbs, and you may have noticed that the bulb part itself is cool to the touch, even when a light is in use. That is because the heat generated is at the base of the bulb – where the components that make it work are located. So long as you buy good quality LEDs and use them in the correct type of light, you don’t need to worry about LED light getting too hot.

Do LED Lights Take Time To Reach Full Brightness?

No. Or at least they shouldn’t! LED bulbs, just like halogen and incandescent bulbs reach their full brightness as soon as you turn them on. What you may be thinking of here is the early or older style energy-saving light bulbs that did need a little bit of time to get bright. There are no similar issues with LED lights.

Are LED Bulbs Better For The Environment?

Certainly. And it’s one of the main reasons you may want to use them. They use a lot less energy than incandescent or halogen bulbs and if you’re using less electricity to power your light bulbs, you’re doing the planet a favour. Because LED lightbulbs also last a lot longer than other bulbs, you’re putting less product into landfills. LED lights don’t contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment either, like mercury.

Do LED Bulbs Save You Money?

Again, another very good reason to buy LED light bulbs is the money they will save you. According to Save Money Cut Carbon, LED lightbulbs are ten times more efficient than bulbs they replace, and:

“Our research shows that while it costs around £25 to run an old 60-watt incandescent light bulb for 10 hours a day for a year, the cost for an LED bulb is a little over £1.50 a year.”

As you can see, that’s a significant amount of money per bulb! Yes, LED bulbs are more expensive to buy initially, but even with the higher cost, you would still save on your energy bills. The price of LED bulbs continues to come down too.

Can You Get Dimmable LED Light Bulbs?

Yes, you can buy dimmable LED bulbs – we stock serval types ourselves! However, you need to make sure the dimmable bulb is compatible with the type of dimmable switch you have. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for more details.

Will An LED Bulb Fit My Existing Lights?

They should do yes – most LED light bulbs are designed to retrofit existing lights. The most commonly found fittings are bayonet (B22) or Edison screw (E27) ones, and LED bulbs can pop right into these.

Can I Use LED Lights Outside

Yes! There are now LED lights available for outdoors – just make sure you check they are IP44 rated and fully splashproof to protect against the elements like our Arizona LED outdoor wall lights are.

Decorative LED Lightbulbs

There is a huge range of LED light bulbs on the market now, from humble plain ones to super fancy caged ones that make stunning features in your home.

From dimmable to test tube-style lights, we stock a wide range of LED lightbulbs that are all designed to save you money.

If you have lights with exposed bulbs, we have an excellent range of fancy light bulbs – from smoked glass to giant balloon bulbs.

You can view all of our light bulbs here.

If you have any issues selecting products or have questions simply contact us and we will be happy to help.