LEDs are being adopted across the globe in the form of streetlights, car lights, household lights, and retail lights among other forms of lighting. One of the primary reasons for adoption is their longevity, and most manufacturers claim that their LED product will last for around 10 years. However, this general claim makes a lot of assumptions about your daily usage, and disclaimers are put in small letters on the fine print.

In addition, certain manufacturers generally claim that LEDs last for around 50,000 hours on average and some LEDs have an estimated lifespan of 100,000 hours! However, only top line bulbs will last for this long as factors such as LED colour, operating temperature, and drive current need to be factored in to accurately gauge lifespan.

The 10-year estimate assumes a lot about usage

A 10-year estimate is popular as it influences customers to purchase, but customers need to be wary and read the fine print. While it is true that LEDs last longer on average than any CFL, you are bracing yourself for disappointment if you are not prepared. For example, most cheap LEDs (under $50) generally claim 10-year spans but on the fine print, there will be a disclaimer stating that it’s true only if your daily usage is 3 hours a day.

Over 10 years, this adds up to 11,000 hours and it is quite laughable to expect any household to use a bulb for only 3 hours a day. So if you use the bulb for around 9-10 hours a day, the lifespan drops to a third of the claimed lifespan.

The bulb circuitry influences lifespan

The circuitry of an LED bulb is quite complex in comparison to an incandescent or CFL bulb and this is particularly true of dimmable LEDs. The circuitry is the real weak link in the bulb, and if an LED bulb has not completed at least 10,000 hours of life, there is likely to be something wrong with the circuitry. If you notice your bulb slowly degrading before its lifespan is over, you should get a technician to check it out immediately.

Heat influences lifespan greatly

One of the great things about LEDs is that they don’t get very hot as the underlying circuitry rather than the bulb itself gets hot. This is why placement is crucial as you need to put your LED in an area that is not enclosed fixture so that heat has more space to escape. If it is squished into a small space, you are more likely to experience a failure soon rather than later.