Do LED Lights Work in A Cold garage?
A question we commonly see circulating on the internet is, “do LED lights work in cold garages?” This is understandable because the words “light” and “cold” don’t seem to match together very well. However, we realized that there’s a lack of information online regarding this topic and wanted to express our views.
LED lights actually work better in cold environments, like a garage. The maximum output of lumens projected from LED lights in cold surroundings is much higher compared with warmer conditions.
Although this is excellent news for all garage owners, there are cases of LED lights flickering or breaking completely from colder weather. But why is this? Some cheaper LED lights lack heat-shrinking material to protect the vital components, meaning they become damaged due to the cold conditions.
Another natural occurrence that could be damaging your garage lights is the fluctuation of temperature. As temperatures get cold and rapidly increase again, it creates condensation. Considering some cheaper LEDs lack protective material around the main electrical components, this increases their chances of becoming damaged from water.
In this article, we’re going to discuss more about if LED lights are affected by temperatures and also the best lighting you can obtain for your cold garage.
Are LED Lights Affected by Temperature?
As mentioned above, LED lights work better in colder environments as they can produce more light output (for better visualization, check out this graph from the LRC). This is because there’s usually less temperature fluctuation within cold garages, which means there’s a dramatic decrease of stress focused on the driver and diodes located in the LED lights.
But of course, there are always warmer temperatures as well. With warmer temperatures, LEDs don’t operate as well as they usually would. If you’ve checked out the graph above, you can clearly see that an increase in temperature within an environment decreases the light output provided by the LED bulb.
However, the damage being caused by heat and LEDs is becoming a lot more unlikely. When LEDs were first introduced, they had heaps of problems when it came to warmer climates. Nowadays, this issue is occurring less because of technology and the evolution of LEDs since its inception back in 1962.
To conclude this, the possibility of your LEDs becoming affected by temperature is improbable. The only environmental condition that may cause havoc to your LED lights is condensation, as water can damage their electrics.
Best Lighting for Cold Garage
Before we get onto the topic of the best lighting, let’s uncover which bulb is most suitable for this application. On the market, there are three main bulbs used for lighting. These are fluorescent (CFL), incandescent, and the light-emitting diode (LED) bulb. Each is well known within the industry, but which performs the best for cold garages?
Fluorescent (CFL)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs, or commonly known as CFL’s are a bit “hit and miss” when it comes to temperatures as their properties change between manufacturers. When you purchase a CFL bulb, it’ll suggest the maximum lowest and highest temperature it can operate in. Although you can get CFL bulbs that can work in temperatures as low as zero degrees or lower, you would generally pay a bit more for this.
Also, unlike the LED, a CFL wastes a lot of its electrical supply on heat rather than light output. It’s estimated that CFL bulbs waste around 80% of their total energy in heat instead of emitting light.
Incandescent
Although these bulbs are being pushed out of the market, you’re still able to purchase garage lights with them. Incandescent lights are being sold less frequently because the CFL and LED bulbs are much more advanced.
It was a bulb that the industry called “good” for cold weather, but as soon as new and innovative bulbs were released, the opinion quickly changed. With an incandescent bulb, it wasn’t convenient for either extreme cold or warm conditions. Because they’re a heat-emitting bulb, either excessive temperature would cause the bulb to burst.
Apart from that, they’re also very inefficient. Newer bulbs like the LED convert around 85% of electricity into light. Whereas incandescent bulbs only utilize around 10% of the power they consume.
Light-emitting diode (LED)
Now, the LED, which is the most popular bulb in today’s light market. An LED is the most efficient and robust bulb there is. Unlike the other two bulbs above, the LED utilizes the most energy to produce light rather than heat. It’s expected that an LED bulb converts around 85% of the energy supplied into visible light.
From the brief explanations above, it’s clear to understand the winner for the best bulb choice for your cold garage. At STKR we are well aware of this and have created three unique lighting solutions to illuminate your cold garage with great lighting.
MPI
Unlike traditional garage lighting, the multi-point Illumination (MPI) lighting solution offers five different points of light. It’s clear that in some garages, one lighting point just isn’t enough to illuminate the entire room successfully. This leaves shadows and dark spots, which can be irritating for anyone trying to perform handy work.
With all five lighting points combined, you’re able to emit a total of 7500 lumens, which is more than enough for your lighting needs. Apart from producing superb lighting, it also has an array of different features that increase the versatility of the light.
Our MPI lights come equipped with both motion sensors and security camera features to allow maximum defense and burglar prevention.
Trilight
A less expensive alternative to the MPI is the Trilight. Performance is a crucial factor that runs through all our products here at STKR. We want to provide only the highest quality lighting solutions to suit your needs.
This award-winning design is excellent for any users that only want one light fitting for their garage. It’s efficient and can produce up to 4000 lumens, which is an incredible amount of illumination for all garages.
Trilight Shoplight
This Trilight Shoplight shares the same advantages as the above, but It’s just portable and operates from a 120v/240v plug socket. This 360 degree light is magnificent when it comes to illuminating garages, construction sites, or practically anywhere that you have access to a standard wall power outlet.
This light comes installed with various helpful features to ensure you’re able to get the entire usage out of this product. Hang, stand or lean this light anywhere you like to maximize its convenience.
All of the above lights are installed with powerful and robust LEDs that are built to last. They provide daylight white color temperatures to guarantee you have proper and natural lighting. Without a doubt, you’ll be amazed at the construction quality of these lighting solutions. Browse our range, and start experiencing better garage lighting today.
