LED technology has been considered among the most energy-efficient innovations in the preceding decades, so some myths arose concerning LEDs and their use. One issue that concerns most LEDs is temperature: Does it get hot or not?
This article will tackle the central myth surrounding LED lights. To enhance understanding, we must delve deeper into how most LED technology works.
1. LED Technology
Before the advent of LED, even for science, it was axiomatic to postulate that you need to consume a lot of energy for something to be efficient and effective. Thus, it would help if you had more fuel, oil, and coal for something that needs to be faster, quicker, brighter, etc.
The development of LED technology in the early sixties modified that. LED stands for “light-emitting diodes.” In LED device emits light particles or photons when an electric current passes through it, a process known as electroluminescence. Those light particles can generate lighting and images.
Since Hewlett-Packard started applying LED technology in 1968, LED has been a fixture of our daily lives and used by various industries to create products and other services. Among those products and services using LED technology are electric appliances of various kinds, gadgets, monitors, other display technologies, and medical equipment.
LED light is the most common and available of many products and services. The production of LED lights has made incandescent bulbs and the like obsolete. For two reasons: those lights are prone to heating and are not energy efficient.
Electricity heats the light bulbs to generate illumination and lighting, resulting in a shorter life span in the long run and consuming a lot of electricity. LED lights offer consumers a better alternative.
However, with the emergence of LED lights, the notion that they are not susceptible to heating has emerged. Before discussing the idea, let us first discuss how an LED light works.
2. LED Lights
The exact process of electroluminescence is at work in LED lights. You have an LED light that contains those light-emitting diodes, and then you turn on the electricity and run an electric current through it.
The electric current passes through those diodes, and the electronic excitation caused by the current releases the photons from the bulb, generating light.
Except for electroluminescence, it has roughly the exact mechanism of an incandescent bulb, which uses a wire filament heated by electricity to generate light. However, the process is different primarily due to the materials used.
In an incandescent bulb, electricity heats the filament. In an LED light, electricity excites the diodes so that they release photons, generating light.
More heating means more energy your incandescent bulb consumes, raising electricity costs. It is where LED technology becomes a real game changer. With LED lights, there is an alternative that is relatively cheaper and more energy efficient. Diodes do not need the heating a wire filament needs and thus consume less electricity.
LED technology has been found to have the most excellent applicability in improving light bulbs, pushing other technologies out of the market. Outside of display technologies, LED is famous worldwide because of its lights. Most households today use LED lights for illumination and lighting.
However, with LED lights dominating the market, one curious concept emerged surrounding this technology: LED lights do not turn hot. Because of this information, many have turned to LED lights and everything with LED: display technologies, TVs, monitors, gadgets, etc.
However, is there truth to the claim that LED lights never get hot?
3. Examining the Idea
Basic elementary science teaches us that energy movement involves heat transfer, regardless of the medium. In short, if a thing absorbs energy, it will also absorb heat. In the case of illumination technology, it will also radiate and emit particles (in this case, photons), causing lighting.
It does not make sense for a thing to absorb energy and radiate or emit particles, but it does not heat. One way or another, it will heat up because that is how the cookie crumbles; that is how it goes when we talk about electricity, energy, and lighting.
The idea that LED lights do not get hot does not make sense. As electric current passes through those diodes, they receive energy. They will heat up because electric current causes something to heat up. The concept of LED lights (or anything using LED technology) not heating up is just a myth, or worse, a concoction.
But why is there such a myth that LED lights do not get hot? And why does the myth persist?
4. Origin of the Myth
The myth probably originated with the energy efficiency of the LED technology itself. The fact that it does not consume much energy compared to an incandescent bulb led many to believe it does not heat up. It does consume energy, but only a little. Hence, given some time, it will eventually heat up.
Many rode the energy efficiency bandwagon of LED technology, mainly LED lights. Some marketing strategists sold the idea that LEDs never get hot to sell as many products as possible. The idea gained traction and, before we knew it, gained a foothold in the minds of an unsuspecting public.
The idea makes sense to most people because LED lights do not get hotter faster than an incandescent bulb. However, upon closer examination, LED lights get hot; just holding one will prove that electricity generates certain heat, however little. However, consumers rarely do that, so even now, some people believe the myth.
A combination of poor scientific understanding of basic scientific principles, savvy marketing strategy, and excellent efficiency of LED technology led to the belief that LED lights do not get hot. However, this is not true, and unfortunately, the myth can have harmful effects.
5. What Happens When an LED Light Gets Hot?
Part of the reason the myth persists is that nothing seems to happen when LED lights get hot. Those LED lights that burn or cause accidents are defective or primarily due to a room’s poor thermal condition. LEDs do not burn even if they get hot and will not cause accidents.
Of course, something does happen when LED lights get hot. Foremost is that over time, LED lights will become less efficient in providing illumination. Materials in LED lights or others will be subject to intense pressure once they get hot or under tremendous, continuous heat.
Prolonged exposure to heating will eventually shorten the shelf life of your LED lights. However, aside from its shorter shelf life, a hot LED light is terrible for the environment. It means the lights have been used for a long time, if not overused. It indicates poor energy management or issues in electrical or thermal efficiency in the house.
LED lights get hot, but it does not mean they should be. If you manage your LED lights and use them properly, there should be no reason for them to get hot enough to be less efficient and impact their shelf life.
6. LED Lights for Better Energy Efficiency
The myth contributes to the misuse and improper handling of LED lights. Since they are energy-efficient, most people leave the lights open even if not in use. It is a poor practice that impacts energy sustainability and overall ecology. It will also increase electricity bills.
We need to bust that myth so people will not overuse LED lights and turn them off when not in use. Only a place with no sunlight or a room that needs illumination or lighting 24/7 will continuously use LED lights.
Another way to manage LED lights for better energy efficiency is to have proper thermal or temperature regulation in the house. Room temperature is already ideal for LED lights. Ensure that everything, especially electricity, is running accordingly and smoothly.
Finally, get your LED lights from reliable sources or manufacturers. LED lights abound and flood the market due to their energy efficiency and illumination. However, they are of different effectiveness, and some are undoubtedly better than others.
Worse, some unscrupulous one’s manufacture LED lights that do not pass industry standards and have poor, if not total, quality control. Defective LED lights can lead to poor shelf life, less energy efficiency, and even burning or fires.
So always check your LED lights before buying them, and ensure they come from a reliable manufacturer.
If you need anything related to LEDs, we at LEDSINO can significantly help. We have an array of LED products from which you can choose. They all overwhelmingly pass the industry standards and give you the practical, aesthetic, and energy efficiency you need and want.
7. Final Thoughts
The idea that LED lights do not get hot is a myth, but it has gained traction and is believed by most people, primarily because of their incredible, excellent efficiency. Because of this myth, people developed poor practices concerning LED lights, leading to improper use and harmful consequences.
Busting the myth is essential to making LED lights more efficient and prolonging their shelf life. It is also essential for energy, the environment, and ecology sustainability.
