Abstract :
Light-emitting diode (LED) lightbulbs are becoming increasingly popular, but claims made by some manufacturers on longevity have been disputed. The EU brought in directives to increase the quality of LED construction as the lamps are more complex to manufacture and there are varying levels of quality. But there are anecdotal stories about poor quality construction. There are two distinct markets: the retail market, which is still relatively small because of the high price of LED bulbs; and the new build market, specifically builders who are incentivised to make new build homes as energy efficient as possible. The new build market is the larger of the two, although the retail market is expected to catch up. LED lamps have greater energy-efficient advantages over CFLs but without the problem of unflattering tones and uncomfortable flicker. However, unlike CFLs and incandescent products, the weakest component of LEDs is not the lamp, which can often last a great deal longer than some of the other intricate components.