Can all LEDs lights be used with dimmer controls? 

No.  Some LED lights or light fixtures are designed to be dimmed and some are not.

Can I use the dimmer switch I have already installed with your dimmable LED lights?

Probably …  but some brands and models of dimmers work much better with certain brands of LED lights. Also, many dimmers will not work with less than 40W on the circuit, so even if you have several LED lights on the circuit they may draw so little that the dimmer switch does not function. 

How come some LED lights last longer than others?

LED’s do not “burn out” like other bulbs; they just get dimmer and dimmer over time. The industry considers an LED’s life span to be over when it reaches 70% of its initial brightness.  Most well designed LED lights will last 30,000 to 50,000 hours. The actual lifespan of an LED light depends on several factors.  Heat will decrease the life and performance of an LED light.  A well designed LED light will have components designed to move the heat generated by the LEDs away from the LEDs either by convection or conduction.  Most LED lights use heat conductive aluminum fins to accomplish this cooling task.   Some shoddy manufacturers will overdrive the LED’s with more electrical current than they are designed to handle.  This “cheat” yields more brightness from the LEDs but results in shortened lifespan.  WARNING:  Manufacturer’s who claim 100,000 + hours for their LED lights are publishing a half truth because they are drawing these stats from lab tests of the LED chip not the LED lights or LED fixtures in actual applications!

Does it shorten the life of an LED to turn it off and on?

No, LED lighting is not effected by being turned on or off.

Do LEDs come on instantly or have a delay like compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)

LED lights switch on instantly just like incandescent or halogens.  

Where are the best places to put LEDs in my house?

From an economic payback viewpoint you should look for locations where you leave the lights on for the most hours.  These areas are usually the kitchen, living areas, porch and security lights and/or night lights that stay on dusk to dawn.  Due to their extremely long life, LED lights are also ideal for hard to reach spots like very high ceilings cans or track lights.  From a quality of light standpoint, some LED lights offer a very energy efficient “dimmable” light.  Most CFL’s will not dim or only dim to 70% of their original brightness. 

Do all LEDs give off a white-bluish light? 

No, LED lights are now available in a range of white colors that range from the warm golden color of an incandescent to the neutral color of a halogen.  The can also produce light that is comparable to “daylight” or a fluorescent.   To better understand what color light a specific LED light emits you should become familure with the Kelvin rating of the light it puts out.  Most home applications are below 3500K (Kelvin) which gives you a golden or “warm” color light.  Light emitted above 3500K is popular for commercial environments or very modern decors that seek to reproduce a “cooler” daylight look. 

Are LEDs lights called bulbs too?

The vernacular of this new industry is still evolving.  Many LED lights are not shaped like traditional bulbs and are not enclosed in a “bulb” of glass.  Some LED engineers refer to the LED lights as “lamps” but many consumers find that term confusing for reasons that are obvious (except to the lighting engineers).  We use the term “bulbs” and” lights” interchangeably … at least for now.  When we refer to an LED light “fixture” that means a device where the LED lights are permanently built into the light fixture and do not unscrew from the fixture.