LED vs. Halogen Lightbulbs: What Is the Difference?
A comparison between the different bulbs.
When selecting a lightbulb for your home or business, there are a number of options to choose from. These include LED, incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent bulbs. In recent years LED lights in particular have increased in popularity for a number of reasons including cost, energy efficiency, and lifespan. For this reason, it can be a little confusing choosing between LED vs. halogen bulbs. This guide is designed to help you understand the clear pros and cons between these lights to help you make a more informed decision on which will work best for your needs.
LED vs. Halogen Lights: Which Is Better?
Two of the easier factors to consider when choosing a lightbulb are the shape and wattage. It is the type of bulbs – LED vs. halogen in particular – that have a number of differences worth considering before making your purchase. If you need additional help on selecting the right bulb after this guide, read Types of Lightbulbs: How to Choose the Right One.
What Are LED Lights?
LED lights are small semiconductor devices that use a diode to convert energy into light when an electrical current passes through it. This is why they are called light emitting diodes (LED). They offer a range of design options and come in a variety of shapes and colors.
Cost: LEDs are typically slightly more expensive than halogen bulbs, but since they consume less electricity, they are more cost effective in the long run.
Energy Efficiency: LED bulbs utilize 85% less energy than halogen lights, while still producing the same amount of light. This efficiency reduces both energy bills and lowers carbon emissions. Additionally, they only emit 10% to 20% of their energy as heat.
- Their low power consumption makes them a great choice for solar-powered and emergency lighting.
- Since they run much cooler than halogen bulbs, LEDs can function in extreme hot and cold environments.
- LEDs bulbs contain no harmful chemicals, making them more environmentally friendly. For this reason, governments around the world are encouraging the use of LEDs over halogen and incandescent as an attempt to reduce carbon emissions.
Durability: Since LED bulbs are made from plastic and don't contain a filament, they are much more resistant to vibrations and external impacts.
Brightness: LED brightness can range between 80 to 100 lumens. They use less power to display the same amount of light; for example a 15 watt LED bulb will be as bright as an 85 watt halogen bulb.
- They also have color temperatures that range from 1,800K all the way up to 6,500K.
- There are also many color changing and single color LED light bulb options available.
- LEDs are easy to pair with smart home systems.
- Unless specifically ultraviolet (UV) or infrared (IR), LEDs produce little to no UV or IR radiation – something that can be damaging to art and fabric.
Life Expectancy: Not only are they more energy efficient, durable, and brighter than halogen lights, but LEDs can typically last over 25,000 hours. When measured using four hours of usage per day, this equals around 15 years of usage, which is up to 25 times more than a halogen.
- Their long life expectancy makes LEDs the ideal choice for vaulted ceilings, recessed lights, or other applications where changing bulbs is difficult.
- LED lights provide immediate full brightness when switched on (no warm-up period), and are less affected by cycling (repetitive switching off and on).
Tip!
Read What Are LED Lights? For a more in-depth look at this lighting option.
What Are Halogen Lights?
Halogen lights are a type of incandescent light that uses a tungsten filament and halogen gas to produce light. An electric current is passed through the filament which heats up and emits light. The gas is designed to prolong the life of the bulb while allowing the tungsten filament to burn at a higher temperature than what regular incandescent bulbs can.
Halogen Light Properties
While all halogen lightbulbs are incandescent, not all incandescent bulbs are halogen. They do, however, share a number of properties.
Cost: The upfront cost of halogen lights is lower than that of LEDs.
Energy Efficiency: Halogen lights are an inefficient lighting source because 80% of the energy they consume to function is converted into heat, while only 20% is emitted as light. This high temperature can result in burns if you touch the bulb immediately after use and they also pose a fire hazard if placed near flammable materials during operation.
- Halogen lights are less efficient than most newer lighting options.
- They consume more electricity and produce a significant amount of heat for similar amounts of light output by LEDs.
Durability: The filaments inside of halogen lights are fragile and sensitive to vibrations and energy surges which can cause breakage. Their glass exterior is also breakable when dropped.
- Since they get so hot, halogen bulbs can also break when exposed to cold water directly after usage (also known as thermal shock).
Brightness: Halogen lights emit between 16 to 24 lumens per watt (read What Are Lumens in Lighting? to better understand this unit of measurement). They also emit a brighter and whiter light with a color temperature of about 2,000 kelvins (K), while incandescent lights burn at 2,700K.
- Their crisp white light makes them ideal for applications that require high-quality illumination.
- Halogen lights produce a lot of ultraviolet light (UV) and infrared radiation (IR) which can be damaging to fabric and art.
- They are dimmable and instantly provide full brightness when switched on.
Life Expectancy: A good quality halogen bulb can last for around 3,600 hours, much longer than incandescent lights which have an average life of between 800 to 2,500 hours, but not nearly as long as LEDs which are about 25,000 hours.
- Frequent cycling (switching on and off) can shorten the life of a halogen bulb.
While there are still some benefits to incandescent bulbs, there is a clear winner in the comparison between LED and halogen lights. Now you can make a more informed decision on which bulb you would like to choose.
