The service life of all lamps is represented in hours. Since it cannot be precisely determined, we refer to it as the average lifespan. Typically, 100 lamps are tested under real conditions. The point at which half of the lamps fail marks the service life. High-quality LED lamps can be identified by a service life of 20,000 hours or more. The average operating time of each lamp in a household is 3,000 hours per year.

The 230V alternating current from the power line changes polarity 50 times per second, corresponding to a frequency of 50Hz. Unlike an incandescent bulb, an LED is not sluggish and thus switches on and off at twice the frequency, or 100 times per second. This flickering light can cause stress for both humans and animals, as the body tries to adapt. Although this effect is often only subconsciously perceived, symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating can occur.

To avoid this flickering, an LED lamp ideally needs direct current. Good quality LED lamps integrate converters into the socket to achieve this. In order to make this negative effect recognisable, the Ecodesign Regulation has laid down a new guideline. The measurement parameter used for flicker is the standardised parameter Pst LM (Pst = short term, LM = light flicker measurement method). A PstLM value of 1 means that an average observer detects the flicker with a probability of 50%. The stroboscopic effect is described by the new parameter SVM (Stroboscopic Visibility Measure), where an SVM value of 1 represents the visibility threshold for an average observer. The frequency range from 80 to 2,000 Hz is considered. With the new Eco-design Directive, flicker parameters for assessing short-term perceptibility must not exceed a PstLM value of 1.0, and the stroboscopic effect parameters must not exceed a maximum SVM value of 0.4.