The benefits of LED striplights

LED striplights are much sought after today because of their multiple functions
and aesthetic effects, and find use in a wide range of applications.

By Potshangbam July

LED striplights, also known as LED tape or ribbon lights, are becoming increasingly popular because of their flexibility and compact design. Besides being the most desirable option for decorative purposes, they are increasingly being used in the residential, industrial, retail and health care domains. But what sets them apart from conventional lights is that they can be installed in even seemingly inaccessible spaces in the most creative manner to deliver the desired light.

What makes them easy to use?
An LED striplight is a flexible circuit board on which many small individual LED emitters are mounted along the strip at regular intervals. They come in various lengths and depths with self-adhesive tape at the back for peel-and-stick installation. This allows the users to install or stick the lights to different surfaces very easily. The strips are thin and narrow, and can even be bent up to 90 degrees, enabling a huge variety of angles during installation. They are ideal for installation in tight and narrow spaces, and can be cut to the exact length required. They are also good for use on curved and angled surfaces.

Types of LED striplights
There are two types of LED striplights – the flexible and the hard variety. The flexible LED striplight is very soft, and hence can be bent and coiled without getting damaged. The strip is very narrow, approximately just the width of a coin. These flexible striplights can be cut and coiled randomly to create any design or shape. Therefore, they can be used for decorative purposes too.

Hard LED striplights use PCBs, which have an LED assembly and other different components for different functions. These striplights have a rigid exterior, cannot be bent or stretched, and hence cannot be installed on uneven surfaces. But they have quick-connect end caps and a light-diffusing shell that makes them suitable for use under cabinets and as display lighting. LED hard striplights are easy to fix.

The benefits

• LED striplights provide a range of benefits over conventional luminaires, which is why they are a popular choice among consumers. Listed below are a few of the benefits of LED striplights.
• LED striplights can be used for 50,000 hours safely and effectively if the installation process on a metal surface is done correctly. Unlike filament and fluorescent bulbs, they do not release a lot of heat, nor do they vibrate and buzz when electricity passes through them. Therefore, the life span of LED striplights is several times longer than that of traditional lights.
• LED striplights are 90 per cent more energy efficient than traditional lighting options. They consume much less energy while in operation, which helps in reducing electricity bills. The calculation of energy consumption of LED strips is done on a per metre basis. A typical metre of LED lighting uses about 7.2 watts of power, while fluorescent lights use about 15 watts.
• LED strips do not generate harmful heat like incandescent and halogen bulbs. They produce a little heat which is mild in nature. They are very safe to use since they have low carbon emissions. One of the downsides of traditional bulbs is that they produce a lot of heat, which impacts the environment as well as wastes energy.
• All LED strips are dimmable when paired with the right equipment, unlike incandescent bulbs. Either of two methods can be adopted for dimming LED strips—the traditional phase-cut wall-dimmer or the DC low-voltage dimmer.
• Another big advantage is that LED strips can be easily recycled, which makes them very environment-friendly. Plus, they are free from toxic chemicals like mercury that may end up damaging the environment.

Determining the quality of LED striplights
To ensure that you only purchase LED striplights of good quality, it is very important to determine their brightness, which is measured in lumens. All LED strips do not have the same lumens. Therefore, users should take note of the lumens/length required for their applications. Next, the circuit board plays a significant role in handling higher power. High levels of electric current pass through each part of the circuit; therefore, the specification and quality of the circuit board matters. What materials are used also play an important role in countering the ill effects of higher power. Good quality copper is ideal for high power LED strips. It should be noted that LED strips that are considered to be of good quality have an extra white paint coating. Such strips enhance the reflectivity of the light and overall light output. In cheaper LED strips, this final process is usually ignored and the copper is left uncovered. This can have a harmful affect on the brightness and colour of the light.

Also, the number of LED chips on the strip and the distance between them are important factors to be taken into account. In cheaper strips, the number of chips is low, and the distance between two chips is a lot in comparison with good LED strips. The colour temperature of the LED strips impacts its quality. Measured in degrees Kelvin, colour temperature refers to the coolness and warmth of white light. Lights with cooler temperatures emit orange or yellow light when illuminated.

Installation tips
One of the defining features of LED striplights is that they can be cut to the length required. Cutting striplights is both safe and easy. This makes the installation process easy and does not require a professional or expert. However, for longer life and the best results, the installation of LED striplights needs to be carried out correctly. To shorten or separate strips, cutting points are provided every 5cm or 10cm along the length of the strip. And for re-connection, solderless connections are done in a safe way. Besides, these lights can be installed by plugging into a normal power outlet or wired directly into a light switch. Striplights come with 3M glue at the back. The glue allows the strips to stick onto virtually any surface, without the need for mounting brackets or fixing clips.

Here are some of the innovative LED striplights available in the market