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General Lighting Questions & Answers

Lowest Maintenance Costs: LED or Linear Fluorescent?

There are mounting concerns over the efficiency of the products that power our everyday lives and our lighting is no exception. When looking for the most energy efficient types of lighting available today, one is faced with two different answers: LED or linear fluorescent lights as the most efficient. However, which one of these lighting source reigns supreme in the battle for most efficient lighting source? Certainly there has to be a clear winner in this energy usage battle.

In recent years, LED lighting has continued to grow in popularity as THE choice for energy efficient lighting. Period. End of story. However, while the LED light is incredibly efficient in comparison to most alternatives, there are some situations where the LED light may not be the most efficient choice.

For more “industrial” scale lighting endeavors, such as the lighting of a warehouse, office space, classroom, etc., linear fluorescent lights appear to win the battle of efficiency, even over the vaunted LED light. What makes linear fluorescent lights a more efficient and economical choice is these situations is their lifespan. Linear fluorescent lights can last some 30,000 hours longer in these applications than can comparable LED lights, leading to an overall lower maintenance cost for the linear fluorescent light.

The lighting choice that wins the efficiency battle is all dependent on scale and use. When it comes to home or consumer-scaled lighting, LED still appears to be the most efficient choice at the moment. When it comes to larger enterprises, such as classrooms and large work spaces, or operations that require brighter, more powerful lighting, linear fluorescent lighting is the most efficient option currently available.

As with so many things, the answer to the “which is best” question is “it depends.”

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