Why is LED light so bad?
10 days ago
- #LED lighting
- #energy efficiency
- #lighting technology
- The author describes personal frustrations with LED bulbs, including flickering, sudden failures, and color inaccuracies.
- LEDs were initially praised for their energy efficiency and longevity, but widespread adoption has revealed issues like color decay and inconsistent performance.
- The U.S. government has enforced a ban on incandescent bulbs, pushing consumers toward LEDs despite their imperfections.
- LED technology is complex, involving metrics like lumens, color temperature (Kelvin), and color-rendering index (CRI), which are often confusing or misleading for consumers.
- Experts acknowledge that LEDs can fail in subtle ways—dimming over time, shifting colors, or flickering—without completely burning out.
- High-end applications, like museum lighting, struggle with LED color consistency and beam precision compared to traditional halogen lights.
- Cultural and biological preferences influence lighting choices, with warmer tones (orangish) generally preferred for indoor settings, while cooler (bluer) light is associated with productivity.
- Blue-rich LED light, though energy-efficient, can disrupt circadian rhythms and is often perceived as harsh or unnatural.
- Lower-cost LED bulbs tend to offer the coldest, least flattering light, disproportionately affecting lower-income households.
- Innovations like tunable LEDs and specialized filters (e.g., amber nail polish on bulbs) attempt to improve aesthetics, but high-quality lighting remains expensive and niche.
- Despite advancements, some high-end venues still rely on incandescent bulbs for their warm, natural glow, highlighting the limitations of current LED technology.