LED Floodlights Take on the Competition – LED vs Halogen, Metal Halide & HPS

Thinking of upgrading to LED floodlights but not sure if it's worth it? Well, we've put our LED floodlights to the test to see how they compare against their three main rivals: Halogen, metal halide and high pressure sodium. Let's see how they got on...

LED floodlights vs Halogen floodlights

Efficiency

You guessed it – LED floodlights win on efficiency, hands-down. In fact, when replacing a like-for-like halogen model with an LED floodlight that beams the same number of lumens, you can expect to see energy savings of up to 65%.

Lifespan

LED floodlights are designed to last up to 30,000 hours. Halogen alternatives, on the other hand, will last just 15,000 hours.

Warm-up time

You can expect both LED floodlights and halogen floodlights to turn-on immediately, with no warm-up time like other types of floodlight, such as metal halide.

Maintenance

LED floodlights are designed to be largely maintenance-free from the moment you install them (that's why we offer a five-year warranty on our LUMiLife floodlight range). Halogens don't stand up to the rigours of time quite as well, and you can expect to replace the bulb alone several times through the duration of its use.

Lifetime costs

Halogens are cheap to purchase, but with such high energy consumption and recurring maintenance costs, LEDs are still considerably cheaper over the long term. Score: LED 4, Halogen 0

LED floodlights vs Metal Halide floodlights

Efficiency

LED floodlights are known for being super-efficient. For example, a LUMiLife 100W floodlight beams 115 lumens per Watt consumed. Metal halide, on the other hand, requires 200 Watts for the same light output.

Lifespan

LED floodlights have a longer lifespan than their metal halide counterparts. Our range of LED floodlights are designed to last up to 30,000 hours, while metal halide only last, on average, 15,000 hours.

Warm-up time

Metal halide can take 10-15 minutes to warm-up to maximum brightness. This is no problem for LED floodlights, which reach their full brightness in a matter of milliseconds.

Maintenance

The bulb within an LED floodlight can be expected to last as long as 30,000 hours. This isn't the case with metal halide, where you can expect to replace blown bulbs on a regular basis during the lifespan of the lamp.

Lifetime costs

LEDs cost more up-front, but this is comfortably offset by the vast maintenance and energy costs you'll save over the lifespan of the floodlight. Score: LED 5, Metal Halide 0

LED floodlights vs High Pressure Sodium floodlights

Efficiency

High Pressure Sodium floodlights come closer to rivalling LED floodlights than halogen and metal halide. A good quality HPS lamp will give you the same amount of lumens per Watt as an LED.

Lifespan

Again, it's close. LED floodlights will serve up to 30,000 hours of high-quality service, while HPS floodlights will give you 24,000 hours on average.

Warm-up time

LED floodlights come as soon as you switch them on. HPS floodlights take longer to reach full brightness. Don't be surprised to wait ten minutes for a HPS flood to get going.

Maintenance

You'll enjoy maintenance-free use with an LED floodlight, but HPS floods require monitoring and regular maintenance to maintain high performance.

Lifetime costs

HPS puts up more of a fight than halogen and metal halide models, but LED still wins this conclusively, thanks to better efficiency, lower maintenance costs and a longer lifespan. Score: LED 4, HPS 0

Scorecard: LED vs Halogen, Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium

Let’s look at the final scores – one point for a win, half a point for a draw:

	Efficiency	Lifespan	Warm-up Time	Maintenance	Lifetime Cost	Final Score
LED	Draw	Win	Draw	Win	Win	4 / 5
Halogen	Loss	Loss	Draw	Loss	Loss	0.5 / 5
Metal Halide	Loss	Loss	Loss	Loss	Loss	0 / 5
HPS	Draw	Loss	Loss	Loss	Loss	0.5 / 5