Do LED Lights Really Last for 10 Years?

Earlier this year, the Department of Energy published a report on LED failure that, among other things, found the lifetime claims for more than half of LED products to be inaccurate, or miscalculated. Why is there so much bad information out there? Are manufacturers just fudging their claims, or are there other pieces to the puzzle? Well, though we frequently stress the importance of vetting manufacturers, and manufacturer reps, a lot of this bad information just comes down to the industry adjusting to a new, still emerging and evolving lighting technology. That said, we’re not here to make excuses for misleading or inaccurate lifetime claims. We’re here to make the technicalities behind these inaccuracies understandable, so that you can effectively avoid the risk of getting left high-and-dry with early failures or poor light quality from LEDs.

How is LED life expectancy measured?

One of the key issues in determining how long LED light lights last is how they are measured.

Average Rated Life (ARL)

The lifespan of traditional incandescent lights is calculated quite simply. It’s referred to as Average Rated Life (ARL)：”An average rating, in hours, indicating when 50 percent of a large group of lamps has failed (operated at nominal lamp voltage and current). Manufacturers use three hours per start for fluorescent lamps and 10 hours per start for HID lamps when performing lamp life testing procedures. Every lamp type has a unique mortality curve that depicts its average rated life.”

LED lights degrade over time

One big difference between LED lights and incandescent lights is that LED lights don’t just burn up and stop working once they reach the end of their lifespan. Instead, they slowly degrade, their maximum brightness getting lower and lower over time. When LED lamp manufacturers come up with the number of hours that an LED lamp can last, that number actually includes a little bit of time where the lamp is slowly degrading. The cut-off point is 70% of the lamp’s full potential brightness. So if an LED lamp can emit 13,000 lumens and it slowly degrades to only emitting 9100 lumens, that’s still within the time frame of an LED lamp working within its 10,000-hour lifespan. It’s only when it gets below 70% of its full brightness that manufacturers deem a lamp to be unfit for providing enough light. So LED lifespan needs to be calculated in a less binary way, leading manufacturers to define it as the point at which luminosity has reached 70% of initial output. This measurement is usually expressed as B50-L70, which is shorthand for the time that 50% of LED lights in ideal conditions will have 70% of their rated output. However, unlike traditional lights that end up at a single maximum figure of 1000 hours, the B50-L70 of LEDs ends up as anywhere between 10,000-100,000 hours. Every LED will have an L70 rating, which is usually calculated in hours. For example, an LED bollard with L70 of 50,000 will – in 50% of all cases – have a rated lifespan of 50,000 hours, at which point they will emit 70% of their original output. If an LED has L50 of 50,000 hours, its output decays faster than one with L70 of 50,000 hours, and so on.

Tips for increasing LED lights’ lifespan:

Although LED lights have a long life than traditional light bulbs, they need to be used properly to maximize their usefulness. Normally, users tend to forget that even LED lights need proper care and maintenance. Here are some tips:

LED Lights also need rest: control usage duration

It’s a well known fact that LED lights last longer than regular incandescent bulbs. But a fact not known to many is that keeping these lights on for extended periods makes them dimmer. Have you noticed illumination of LED lights reduces when they are kept on over long, uninterrupted durations? This happens because LED lights are designed in such a way that they reduce their illumination to control energy consumption. So, use LED lights for shorter periods of time, mainly during times when you need focused, bright light. Switch them off when their use is no longer necessary.

LED lights need enough cooling down period

As explained before, ambient temperature and bulb case temperature are crucial factors in determining an LED light’s lifespan. Just because these bulbs emit less heat as compared to incandescent bulbs, doesn’t imply that they don’t need to cool off. In fact, letting these bulbs cool off sufficiently will extend their age and improve their illumination. Hence, place these bulbs in cool, dry surroundings with enough space for heat produced to be dissipated. And, allow them sufficient time to cool off before switching them on again.

Avoid Rapid Switching on/off of LED Lights

Rapidly switching on and off of any bulb can be detrimental for its age. And this holds true for LED lights too. Not only does the build have to withstand fluctuations in voltage, but they also don’t get time to rest before the next use. Consequently, their light gets dim and life span gets reduced. Installing LED lights, though energy-efficient and long lasting, is a costly affair. Get the most out of your investment by taking proper care of your LED lights. Hope you can get something  from this article and those small suggestions can help you extend the lifespan of your lamp. If you are interested, you can have a look at this: Factors That Affect The Lifespan of Lights.