Interior Decorating

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Might be a stupid question but which lights cost less electric? (self.interiordecorating)

submitted 6 months ago by DaddysLittleSlut to c/interiordecorating

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So soon enough I’ll be moving into a small studio and was wondering. Would a long LED strip through my Studio be cheaper than the actual lights? For sure I’d know their gonna be more fun but looking for an alternative to save money on electricity.

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[–] glimse 3 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Don't LED bulbs have transformers built in? As far as I know, all LEDs run off DC power

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Not a transformer, but a...

!!!!FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER!!!

air horn

[–] DocMcStuffin 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

LEDs are diodes; so, yes they need DC power. They don't necessarily need a transformer. Modern bulbs use an integrated circuit with some discrete components that handle the conversion. Some cheaper bulbs use a capacitive dropper circuit with a bridge rectifier; they're not as efficient. The really cheap ones omit the capacitor in the rectifier; they flicker.

[–] glimse 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Ah I assumed "transformer" meant anything that converted AC to DC

[–] DocMcStuffin 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

When I took electronics, transformer meant a pair of coils of wire wrapped around some magnetic material. Their purpose is to step the voltage up or down. You still need components to convert from AC to DC. The easy way to do that is a rectifier with a capacitor that holds the charge.

[–] glimse 1 points 6 months ago

Makes sense, I never looked up the definition and my only experience with them is with power bricks so I had the wrong idea

[–] Kethal 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Yes, and I don't think you're going to be able to put together any system that is better than what those have built it. I am all but certain that it's technically possible, since although the ones in a decent bulb are probably pretty good, I doubt they're that close to peak efficiency. However, just using a different wall wart one with strips is at best going to be very slightly better, and you'd need a good bit of research to find a high efficiency option, and it probably would cost more for a fairly small gain. You'd be better off spending the time and money on easy, sure-shot things, like better insulation or more efficient appliances.

It would be nice if someone worked out a centralized high efficiency AC to DC converter for all the low voltage LED lights in a house, or if you could start with DC, like solar, and convert just the voltage. There's probably a decent efficiency gain with those options, but it's not something someone is going to work out for a studio.