| Q. |
When you search online there other many manufacturers than you in the US, why is Leds America’s Led-O different? |
| A |
That’s very misleading. If the company claims to be a US company, its an importer of tubes and /or led bulbs. There is none that design, manufacture any parts , nor have they proprietary chips or drivers designed by themselves like Leds America. |
| Q. |
There are several Chinese manufacturers, what is the difference? |
| A |
We design everything ourselves, they don’t, they buy all they parts from the spot markets and assemble the lights. They are not the manufacturers of any parts , they just assemble readily available parts. |
| Q. |
Why is that important? |
| A |
There are several reasons. An LED will last for several years ONLY if its driven correctly, therefore it is imperative that each configuration of every tube, bulb and lamp is designed for the LED in question. For anyone to be able to do that, they have to design and manufacture parts themselves, especially power supplies, and have a proprietary LED and driver. That’s why we at Leds America do just that.
Other reasons are that when a “manufacturer” buys the pats from different sources they are not made up to the specifications of the different parts. This will lead to shorter life of the product, higher energy consumption, uneven color temperatures and even fire hazards etc.
The obvious is that when they do this they try to maximize their profits and will buy the cheaper option available, usually the power supply.
One key in a long lasting LED is the junction temperature, if you don’t follow the specs the temperature is going to be too high and the product won’t last.
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| Q. |
Why are the specifications so important? |
| A |
Imagine a car that is assembled by a company that buys the engine from GM , the body shell from Chrysler and the chassis from Ford etc. and then assembles them without knowing if it’s a gas or diesel engine, how many horse powers the engine has, nor what kind of engine mounts the engine and the chassis need to have etc. |
| Q. |
LED technology is easy, right? |
| A |
Without going to the complexities of the technology , which requires the reader to be a rocket scientist, it can be described as follows; LED was invented in the early 1900’s , so it took 100 years to develop the brightness and the power consumption to the level they are today and that is mastered by a very small number of companies in the world. |
| Q. |
How much energy will I save on an MR16 or incandescent? |
| A |
Over 90% |
| Q. |
How much will I save energy compared to tubes? |
| A |
If you replace an fluorescent tube you have to consider the ballast, Led-O doesn’t use a ballast, and uses only 15.3 W of energy. Take the Wattage of the tubes you have and add 18% for the ballast and do the math. |
| Q. |
What else should I consider when calculating savings? |
| A |
Cost of product and labor to replace, cost of kwh in your area, number of hours the lights are on per month, decreased use of A/C, rebates and tax incentive programs and Carbon Credits. In most cases the disposal cost of hazardous Mercury needs to be factored in. For rebates in your area go to www.dsireusa.org. |
| Q. |
Do you have a program to sell carbon credits that I earn? |
| A |
Yes we do. We do split the credits with you. |
| Q. |
I have seen spec sheets that promise same as your products, are they the same? |
| A |
No. It’s easy write to write a paper, we can prove our claims. |
| Q. |
Your products are better priced than others, how about the quality? |
| A |
We have no middlemen and are the manufacturer as explained above. We have a higher quality and warranty for five years. |
| Q. |
Do you have warranty? |
| A |
Yes, for five years. |
| Q. |
Buying Led-O lights means that I have to lay-out a large sum of money upfront? |
| A |
Our leasing program will start your savings immediately, you will save on your cost of energy even when the leasing is factored in. Use the savings to grow your business! |
| Q. |
Is there any proof that LED lights last? |
| A |
Yes, if you had a car before 1990, you may remember that you had to change the rear light bulbs once in a while. The last 15 years the cars have had LED rear lights and you cannot unscrew the lid and change the bulbs, that’s because there are LEDs and the car manufacturers know they last longer than the car. |
| Q. |
How long do the Led-O lights last? |
| A |
We guarantee 5 years 24/7 |
| Q. |
Do they lose any color? |
| A |
Only minimally after 7 years or so the decrease will be more. |
| Q. |
What is CRI? |
| A |
Color rendering Index – it has to be 80% or more, for the colors of any material to appear the same as in outdoor light. |
| Q. |
Do you use any Mercury? |
| A |
No, Mercury is used in Fluorescent tubes and CFL’s. |
| Q. |
Do you use lead in your solder? |
| A |
No – only lead free solder is used. |
| Q. |
What is color temperature? |
| A |
Color temperature is measured in Kelvin’s and ranges from yellow to cold blue. The warmest color is the color of the light of a match. |
| Q. |
What do I need to know about the lights itself? |
| A |
Any and all energy that comes to light is transformed into light and heat, the more wattage the more heat as in fluorescent and incandescent lights. In fluorescent light it means a lot of light that human eyes cannot see, such as UV and UVA, as well as a strobe effect that causes headaches and may even trigger epileptic seizures. LED light is cooler and clean and has none of these side effects. |
| Q. |
What products do you have? |
| A |
Led-O makes T8 replacement tubes, MR16 and incandescent lights, soon PAR 38 and 30, we also have street and Parking lot lights. |
| Q. |
What wattage do the Led-O replace? |
| A |
Usually 10% of the current wattage. MR16 – 50 W is replaced with 5W and 30W with 3W etc. Led-O - T8 uses 15.3 W to give same lumens, or more than the current fluorescent version of T8, T12 and T5. |
| Q. |
Do I need to buy new fixtures? |
| A |
No, all Led-O fit in your current fixtures. |
| Q. |
Fluorescent tubes need a ballast Led-O doesn’t, what do I do when installing them? |
| A |
Just bypass the ballast and connect incoming power at each end. Live at one end and ground at the other. |
| Q. |
What voltage can Led-O use? |
| A |
Led-O lamps use 85 – 277V, unlike all others we have designed our own power supply and this voltage range is within the tolerance range, which is not the case with power sources available on the market. |
| Q. |
What’s the payback time? |
| A |
For MR16 and incandescent the payback time is usually is 4-6 months, T8 15-18 months when the cost per kwh is 12 cents. If the lights on more than 50 hrs a week and if the cost of kwh is higher the payback is even faster. |
