Every gas discharge lamp -- including fluorescent and CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs -- needs a ballast to regulate the energy for startup and ongoing operation. Otherwise the light will die almost immediately. Today's video quickly reviews this along with how to match up a CFL bulb to a CFL ballast.

​

We've all seen Edison bulbs in places like restaurants and coffee shops. They provide a warm, inviting atmosphere with their aura of history. But like all incandescent bulbs, they burn through a whole lot of energy, and they don't last the way LED bulbs do. This is why more businesses are choosing LED Edison bulbs to save on both energy and the bulbs themselves.

If you're looking for LED Edison bulbs, though, we urge a little caution: they're not all created equal, and we find some are way too bright and nowhere near the warm look of an incandescent Edison bulb. This is precisely why we chose to carry those from TCP.

Check out our short video below to see how TCP LED Edison bulbs (links to well priced options on our site) compare with generic imports. We think you'll agree that if you're going for the Edison bulb look, it's worth spending a little more for this kind of quality!
​
​

We've put together a new video showcasing LED bulbs side by side with incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs. This review not only shows you what they look like together but also how they dim and how they render colors. It also gives an overall list on the pros and cons of the different bulbs.

Check out all our LED bulbs here, or visit our page dedicated to the best LED light bulbs values for home and office.
​

In business settings, the move from other lighting technologies to LED lights makes more financial sense all the time. LEDs continue to fall in price while increasing in quality, including light output (lumens) per watt (which reduces energy costs).

This financial sense isn't limited to the initial cost of bulbs, but to the total cost of bulbs over time, with LED lamps typically lasting for years beyond other lights. In the case of the high wattage lamps we're discussing in this post, this means buying just one LED for every 2 or 3 metal halide lamps; or one LED for approximately every 5 or more halogen lamps.

Maybe even more important is the time / cost of actually replacing these lamps. High wattage lamps are generally used in high fixtures that are difficult to reach, involving lifts to replace them. So it's no small thing when -- under usage of 12 hours a day -- a halogen will need to be replaced every year on average; a metal halide every 2-3 years; and an LED every 5 years or more. This is a huge advantage to using LED bulbs.

So let's take a look at a particular PAR38 LED replacement option for both halogens and metal halides.

We carry 32 watt PAR38 LEDs from Philips that not only compare on price with halogen and metal halide options, but also provide the benefits of longevity and light quality as well. Available here in both flood and spot light options, here are their pros and cons vs. the other lamp types:

vs 39 Watt PAR Metal Halides: the LEDs cost about the same. They run on nominally 7 watts less energy, which isn't a huge difference -- an energy savings of just a few dollars per year. The CRI (Color Rendering Index) is similar (compared to our PAR30 metal halides), both being around 80, but the LED should last 2-3 times as long. Metal halide lamps also have warm up and restrike periods while LEDs provide instant on and off functionality. Overall, there is no downside to the LED.

vs 250 Watt PAR38 Halogens: the LED compares to a whopping 250 watts of halogen lighting, and while it's a little more expensive at this time, the price difference should be made up in a business setting in a month or two. That's because, at 12 hours a day of usage, you're probably saving 25 to 30 cents a day in energy. That's a dollar every 3-4 days for each 250W halogen replaced by LED. The LED bulb is also rated to last at least 5-6 times as long.

Like the LED, a halogen lamp offers instant on and off functionality, and halogen lights are rated with nearly a 100 CRI. However, as we've pointed out before, there are limitations to this rating and, arguably, some colors are better rendered by LEDs.

Another difference is that halogens, especially, run extremely hot while LEDs do not. This makes LEDs a much better choice for lighting anything that could be sensitive to heat, such as food and paint.

We hope this is a useful overview on replacing high wattage halogen and metal halide PAR lamps with PAR LED lamps, and that you'll remember we ship your in-stock order same business day when you order by 5 pm EST.