HID vs LED What’s the Difference

Energy efficient is a phrase that seems to be everywhere. The more energy efficient something is the more people want it. Saving energy saves time and money. Much energy talk revolves around lighting. This can lead to confusion as to what lighting is best. Differences between different types of light goes far beyond color, shape and light quality. Whether concerning parking garage lighting, roadway lighting or even lighting in your home, we’ve compared the differences between HID and LED lighting below. Read on to see the differences in energy efficiency and more.

Life Expectancy

The typical life expectancy of an HID light is 15,000 up to 25,000 hours. The life expectancy of LED lighting is at least 50,000 however many lasted closer to 100,000 hours. As shown LED lights can last up to ten times longer than HID lights.

Warm up

Ever turned on a light and had to wait for it to become bright enough that you could actually see? HID lights do require this warm up time. After a small, 5-10 minute warm up period they then begin to illuminate to the fullest extent in all directions. LED lights turn on instantly and require no warm up time to become their brightest. While they don’t flicker, they produce more focused light in one direction.

Durability

HID lights have glass. They have moving parts and they are fragile. LED lights are not as fragile and are considered more heavy duty. They do not have moving parts or filaments. They can resist shot and vibration much better than an HID lights.

Expense

HID lights typically cost less. They require regular maintenance to keep them performing optimally. LED lights will cost more out of pocket upfront. Despite this LED will require almost no maintenance to keep them performing optimally.

Energy efficiency is important for homes and businesses. Roughly 11% of energy used in homes is related to lighting and almost 20% of energy in commercial buildings is used for lighting. Finding energy efficient lighting is important, so do your research to determine which lighting option works best for your needs.