![]() Average Rated Life: Reported and Calculated LED Lifetime While LEDs do occasionally fail, they are significantly more reliable light sources than their predecessors. Because LEDs do not rely on the burning of filament, they will last longer and be less susceptible to flickering and inconsistent light over the course of their lifetime. Unless it is damaged in some way, an LED may never truly fail-it will simply deliver less and less light until it appears to no longer be functioning. Predicting the lifespan of LED luminaires is much more difficult. Classifying the average life of a light source was a monotonous-though consistent-process. A fluorescent lamp from one manufacturer would generally have the same rated life as a fluorescent lamp from another manufacturer, making the lifetime of the entire category of lighting easily predictable. Traditional light bulbs, which included fluorescents, HIDs, and incandescent lights, were the standard for lighting fixtures and testing goals. Prior to the introduction of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), conventional light bulbs were tested in batches of 100 with the expectation that at least half of the batch would fail prior to the end of a 10,000-hour testing mark. How Did We Measure the Lifetimes of Older Technologies? ![]() The LED will still continue to operate beyond this point, but this is the point at which most people would consider replacing the unit. However, whereas a high-pressure sodium bollard light might take 25,000 hours to hit 70% output (1,470 lumens), the LED fixture will last twice as long. When you first power up the LED bollard light, it should emit the full 2,100 lumens, though over time, its emitted lumens will start to fall (as they would for any other light source). For this reason, it is not uncommon to see LEDs with L70 rated lifetimes of 50,000 hours, 100,000 hours, 200,000 hours, or greater.įor example, let’s imagine an LED bollard light that produces 2,100 lumens and is said to have an L70 rated life of 50,000 hours. LEDs do not degrade nearly as quickly as other light sources, as they rely on electroluminescence rather than filament to emit their light. ![]() Their IP65 rating means they are tough enough to withstand dust, weather, and more. With no exterior lens, they are much more resistant to breakage and the build-up of condensation. VAND 25w Bollard Lights are great fixture for just about any sidewalk, walkway, or landscape lighting application. Even though LEDs do not rely on filament, the principles behind rated life have not changed. Older light sources rely on the heating up of filament to create their light once the filament wears away to the point where the fixture emits 70% of its initial lumen output, it is said to have reached the end of its life. According to the United States Department of Energy, useful life (or rated life) is “often described by the number of operating hours until the LED luminaire is emitting 70 percent of its initial light output.” It is through this definition that we find the L70 rating.Īny light fixture-LED or otherwise-will slowly but surely degrade over time. L70 is a way to measure LED lifetime and is one of the most important ratings electricians, purchasing agents, and end users can use to decide which lighting fixture best suits their project. Here, we’ll break down one of the most important ratings: L70, or LED lifetime. From watts to lumens to amps to Kelvin temperatures to equivalencies and beyond, the data may be hard to keep track of. ![]() Most people do not know what to do with the mess of numbers, terms, and ratings plastered over LED lighting fixtures and LED packaging it can be understandably disorienting. ![]()
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