LED grow lights do get hot, although not as much as other types of grow lights. Due to the efficiency with which LED lights convert energy into light, they emit less heat while producing the same amount of light as conventional light bulbs.
Consider a 10-watt LED grow light, 8 watts of light are produced, while the remaining 2 watts are converted to heat energy. The actual power of a 15-watt LED light is 12 watts, however, only 3 watts of heat are produced. Energy is a property that can only alter its form; it cannot be produced or eliminated.
Grow light heat is transformed into infrared radiation. It is a form of radiation that causes molecules in an object to heat up immediately upon contact. When the heat is excessively high, grow lights’ infrared radiation can, in the case of plants, burn leaves.
LED grow lights perform without producing as much heat as fluorescent or HID lights because of their efficiency in converting energy. You may mount them rather close to them without having to worry about leaf burn or heat stress. But you still need to take steps to avoid having them sit too close to your plants.
