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1. Why Choose LED Light?
- LED is the most efficient light source available today.
- LED lighting draws about 1/10th the power of conventional lighting representing a dramatic reduction in power consumption on any project.
- LED lamps last longer than any other conventional light source:
- three to five times longer than fluorescents
- 20 to 30 times longer than incandescent
- LED lamps are much safer as they produce little heat and no UV rays.
- LED costs nothing to maintain while reducing heating and utility costs.
- Payback based on list price averages less than 1 year on operational costs only. Eliminating lamp replacement cost and labor means additional savings.
- LED lamps contain no Mercury
- LED lamps boast ’instant on’ operation
2. What is LED Light?
Light emitted from a semi-conductor (diode) as opposed to a vacuum or gas tube.
3. Isn’t LED Light really weak?
New Solid State Lighting (SSL) Technology allows for the grouping of LEDs to produce a unified beam and higher wattage outputs, making the weak LED lamp a thing of the past. LED lighting with SSL technology has been recognized by the DOE as a solution to the ecological pitfalls of incandescent and fluorescent lighting.
4. Are all LED lights the same?
No. Some of the LED products available today are marketed as "energy-efficient", but actually have very low light output compared to typical light sources. The combination of high price and low light output may actually make them a poor replacement for current technology. It is important to compare new LED products to the most efficient conventional technology (such as fluorescent, incandescent, or metal halide) that could be used in your specific application.
5. How can I tell if an LED lamp will do the job?
There are several factors in finding the right LED light for you.
- Lumens per watt (lpw) is the commonly used measure of how efficiently a light source is converting electricity into useable light. For comparison, incandescent lamps typically produce 12-15 lumens per watt of electric power. CFLs produce at least 50 lumens per watt.
Currently available high-brightness LEDs can produce about 30-35 lumens per watt.
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Evaluate the cost. For comparison, a 75-watt incandescent light bulb typically produces about 1,000 lumens and costs less than $1. The problem is, it only lasts about 1,000 hours and only converts about 5% of the electricity it consumes into light (the rest is wasted as heat). A comparable CFL is 5 times more efficient, lasts 10,000 hours, and costs less than $5. So the conventional light sources cost around $1 per thousand lumens. Today’s white LED products cost more than $50 per thousand lumens. But with high energy efficiency and low maintenance, LED lights can pay for themselves in the first year.
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Assess the need for unique LED features. In many applications, the extra durability that LEDs can provide is worth a higher purchase price. Outdoor pathway and step lighting is an example of a sensible application for today’s LED lights. In other applications, the need for a low maintenance solution is key. Your staff has better things to do than change light bulbs. In task lighting applications, LEDs may be able to provide enough light on the task, even though the total lumens are less than comparable incandescent or fluorescent sources.
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