High-powered LEDs are used for general lighting. ENERGY STAR qualified LED lighting uses multiple LEDs inside a fixture to produce white light.

Low-powered LEDs are used for indication, such as exit lights, a green power button on a computer, or a red blinking light on a video camera.

There are different types of LEDs. The epoxy-based LEDs are quite weak compared to the silicon-based high powered LEDs in terms of lifetime, brightness, and lumen output. The high power LED has a low degradation level over time. The high power LEDs' brightness and intensity after differing hours of operation compared to an epoxy-based LED are shown in the graph below. After 4,000 hours of operation, the high power LEDs' intensity and brightness are barely diminished but, the epoxy-based LED degraded by 40%. After 12,000 hours of operation the epoxy-based LED degraded by 75%.

A good quality high power LEDs intensity is steady and maintains an even light output over time.