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What does LED stand for?

LED is short for light-emitting diode.

The advantages of switching to LED are numerous. Here are just some of the benefits: LEDs use much less electricity than other bulbs, have extremely long rated lives, produce very little heat, do not emit UV or infrared, contain no mercury, are resistant to shock and vibration, and can operate effectively in extremely cold environments.

They can be used almost anywhere. LED replacements are already available for bulb types such as A-shape, PAR reflectors, MR reflectors, decorative, undercabinet, and more. When used on dimmers, particularly dimming systems that support many bulbs, we suggest testing a few LEDs first to test compatibility.

LEDs are notable for being extremely long-lasting products. Many LEDs have a rated life of up to 50,000 hours. This is approximately 50 times longer than a typical incandescent, 20-25 times longer than a typical halogen, and 8-10 times longer than a typical CFL. Used 12 hours a day, a 50,000 bulb will last more than 11 years. Used 8 hours a day, it will last 17 years!

LED is still a new technology, and the expense of producing quality product is still high. However, pricing has come down dramatically from just a few years ago and prices are expected to continue to drop. In terms of whether LEDs are worth the extra cost, it’s helpful to look at the cost to operate a bulb in addition to the up-front cost. The energy savings realized in a switch to LED means that the extra up-front cost is often paid back rather quickly, and you’ll wind up saving money over the life of the bulb. If you’d like to see this in action, Here is an example: for a residential customer who may have the light on for just 10 hours per week ñ the payback is over 10 years. On the other hand, a retail or restaurant client who is burning lights for 90-100 hours per week will calculate their payback on a $70 LED PAR to be less than 18 months. Taking a look at your payback estimate should definitely be a consideration when deciding if LED is right for you.

For most applications, yes. Off-the-shelf LED products are now reliably replacing incandescent equivalents of up to 100 watts, and specialty products are available to replace even higher wattages. If you’d like to learn more about LED light output, take a look at this article on light output.

If you buy quality product, the light quality is excellent. Color Rendering Index (CRI) is generally used to measure light quality on a scale from 1-100. Most LEDs have a CRI rating of at least 80, and many are rated 90 and above.

LEDs are very green. For starters, they use much less electricity than many other lighting products. This means that less electricity has to be produced to operate them, and resulting in lower emissions from power plants, especially in areas where coal-fired plants are common. Unlike CFLs, they contain no mercury. Because of their long life, they also reduce solid waste: If you replace an incandescent bulb with an LED, you will prevent fifty 1,000 hour incandescent bulbs from being thrown away. Additionally, they produce very little heat and can reduce energy usage related to HVAC. The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that increased adoption of LEDs over the next 15 years would also reduce electricity demands from lighting by 62 percent, prevent 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions, and eliminate the need for 133 new power plants.

Usually, yes. Many LEDs are specifically listed as being dimmable. Some dimming systems work with LEDs better than others, so it’s best to test one or two before completely re-lamping a space.

Not if they are completely enclosed. In order for an LED to function correctly, they must be in a non-enclosed fixture to allow for heat to dissipate from the heat sink. Otherwise, they can overheat and may fail early.

Simple Connection Steps

LED Light Strips offer an easy and highly effective way to provide the utmost in efficient, attractive accent lighting in a variety of settings and applications. Here is how LED Light Strips can be readied for mounting in three easy steps:

I.  Cut along the light strip tape wherever a dashed line divides two sets of positive and negative connection points.

How to connect flexible led stripII.  Peel away a portion of the light strip adhesive backing at one end. With the solderless clamp open, slide the strip end all the way into the solderless clamp. Close the hinged clamp.

How to connect flexible led stripIII.  Remove the remaining adhesive backing and attach the light strip to the desired surface.
How to connect flexible led strip

Connection, Switch and Powering options

The information and illustrations below offer recommendations for choosing a general design for your application.

I.   Light strip On/Off is controlled by a wall mounted switch

How to install flexible led strip with connection, Switch and Powering options

II.  Light strip On/Off/Brightness is controlled by an LED dimmerHow to install flexible led strip with connection, Switch and Powering options

III.  Light strip On/Off/Brightness is controlled by an LED dimmerHow to install flexible led strip with connection, Switch and Powering options

IV.  Light strip On/Off/Brightness is controlled by 4 a wireless LED dimmer and signal receiver.   How to install flexible led strip with connection, Switch and Powering optionsV.  Light strip is powered directly by a 12V battery, for applications like boats, RVs, etc.How to install flexible led strip with connection, Switch and Powering options

Layout Options

I.  Light strips are powered in a continuous Straight run. Strips that are furthest from the power supply are more likely to exhibit voltage drop.

flexible led strip Layout OptionsII.  Light strips are powered from a spliced Centerfeed connection. This type of layout tends to produce more consistent brightness and color between strips.flexible led strip Layout OptionsIII.  Light strips are powered from a single looped Loopback connection, which also produces more consistent results. Often used for room perimeter and cove.flexible led strip Layout OptionsIV.  In the Array option, light strip legs are individually powered. Total wattage should be determined so as not to overload power supply.flexible led strip Layout Options

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Yes, they are easy to install. In most cases you just plug the power supply into the controller/dimmer (which then connects to the LED strip), and then plug the power supply into a normal outlet.

For single color strips, you only need 2 conductor wire, and for RGB strips, you need 4 conductor wire. We recommend using stranded copper wire 10-22 gauge (like control or security wire).

In order to connect up to 2 rolls, you should use at least 22 gauge wire. If you use 16-18 gauge wire, you can connect up to 4 rolls at a time (2 in each direction). For longer runs (over 10′-15′) you can run multiple wires or use a larger gauge wires in order to avoid color change/drop in brightness due to voltage drop.

We recommend only connecting 2 rolls together in each direction from the supply wire (see strip section for more details).