We address the problem of the electromagnetic radiation produced by charge distributions in the framework of a semiclassical approach proposed in the work by Bagrov, Gitman, Shishmarev and Farias [J. Synchrotron Rad. (2020). 27, 902-911]. In this approach, currents, generating the radiation are considered classically, while the quantum nature of the radiation is kept exactly. Quantum states of the electromagnetic field are solutions of Schrödinger's equation and relevant quantities to the problem are evaluated with the aid of transition probabilities. This construction allows us to introduce the quantum transition time in physical quantities and assess its role in radiation problems by classical currents. We study radiated electromagnetic energies in detail and present a definition for the rate at which radiation is emitted from sources. In calculating the total energy and rate radiated by a pointlike charged particle accelerated by a constant and uniform electric field, we discover