August 13, 2020
LED lights last for thousands of hours and have better energy efficiency compared to incandescent bulbs. That makes them a great choice for household and commercial use. With all the benefits of LEDs, you may have considered using LED grow lights for your indoor plants. Is there any difference between these and traditional LEDs? We did lots of research to bring you the answer.
What is an LED lights?
LED stands for light emitting diode. LED lighting products produce light up to 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light. To prevent performance issues, the heat LEDs produce is absorbed into a heat sink.
LEDs are incorporated into bulbs and fixtures for general lighting applications. Small in size, LEDs provide unique design opportunities. Some LED bulb solutions may physically resemble familiar light bulbs and better match the appearance of traditional light bulbs. Some LED light fixtures may have LEDs built in as a permanent light source. There are also hybrid approaches where a non-traditional “bulb” or replaceable light source format is used and specially designed for a unique fixture. LEDs offer a tremendous opportunity for innovation in lighting form factors and fit a wider breadth of applications than traditional lighting technologies.
The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation’, wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent.
What is an LED grow light?
Light Emitting Diode (LED) grow lights are a type of energy efficient lights that are an option for indoor growers. Unlike other types of grow lights, LEDs do not burn a filament, but instead pass light through semiconductors to create their spectrum. LED grow lights can be used as the sole means of lighting in a growing operation, as a supplement to natural light, or paired with other types of grow lights.
Unlike other types of grow lights, light emitted by LEDs can be focused, so that none is dispersed or lost between the bulb and the canopy of the plants. LEDs have long service lives, with bulbs lasting from 50,000 to 100,000 hours of continuous use.
They are more costly as an initial investment than other types of grow lights, but are cheaper to operate given their high efficiency. They also do not have issues with producing too much heat or burning leaves. The lack of heat production is a negative for some growers who need to add supplemental heat in their growing areas. Higher end models are able to produce wavelengths ranging from the visible spectrum down to Ultraviolet light which is beneficial for resin formation.
The Differences
Now that we’ve gone into detailed explanations of both LED lights and LED grow lights, what’s the differences between them?
While regular LEDs are great to have at home since they last practically forever and can save you money, don’t get it confused. LED lights are not the same as LED grow lights. If you’re providing a light source for your plant, a cannabis grow light will ensure they reach their full potential. That’s not to say you can’t use an LED or another non-grow light source, but grow lights work better.