Tag Archives: LED lighting

LED Lighting: The Basics Explained

The light-emitting diode (LED) is one of today’s most energy-efficient and rapidly-developing lighting technologies. Quality LED light bulbs last longer, are more durable, and offer comparable or better light quality than other types of lighting.

Energy Savings

LED is a highly energy efficient lighting technology, and has the potential to fundamentally change the future of lighting in the U.S. Residential LEDs — especially ENERGY STAR rated products — use at least 75 percent less energy, and last 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting.

Widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the U.S. By 2027, widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity: This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants (1000 megawatts each), and a total savings of more than $30 billion at today’s electricity prices.

Learn more about how energy-efficient light bulbs compare with traditional incandescents.

How LEDs are Different

LED lighting is very different from other lighting sources such as incandescent bulbs and CFLs. Key differences include the following:

  • Light Source: LEDs are the size of a fleck of pepper, and a mix of red, green, and blue LEDs is typically used to make white light.
  • Direction: LEDs emit light in a specific direction, reducing the need for reflectors and diffusers that can trap light. This feature makes LEDs more efficient for many uses such as recessed downlights and task lighting. With other types of lighting, the light must be reflected to the desired direction and more than half of the light may never leave the fixture.
  • Heat: LEDs emit very little heat. In comparison, incandescent bulbs release 90 percent of their energy as heat and CFLs release about 80 percent of their energy as heat.

LED Products

LED lighting is currently available in a wide variety of home and industrial products, and the list is growing every year. The rapid development of LED technology leads to more products and improved manufacturing efficiency, which also results in lower prices. Below are some of the most common types of LED products.

Industrial and Commercial Lighting

The high efficiency and directional nature of LEDs makes them ideal for many industrial uses. LEDs are increasingly common in street lights, parking garage lighting, walkways and other outdoor area lighting, refrigerated case lighting, modular lighting, and task lighting.
See our industrial and commercial lighting case studies

Kitchen Under-Cabinet Lighting

Because LEDs are small and directional, they are ideal for lighting countertops for cooking and reading recipes. Since the color can appear more cool or blue than many prefer in a kitchen and there can be some excessive shadowing from some fixtures, it is important to compare products to find the best fixture for your space.

Recessed Downlights

Recessed downlights are commonly used in residential kitchens, hallways, and bathrooms, and in a number of office and commercial settings. The Department of Energy estimates there are at least 500 million recessed downlights installed in U.S. homes, and more than 20 million are sold each year. LED technology can decrease downlight wattage by 75% or more.

LED Replacement Bulbs

With performance improvements and dropping prices, LED lamps can replace 40, 60, and even 75 watt incandescent bulbs. It’s important to read the lighting facts label to make sure the product is the right brightness and color for the intended location. When chosen carefully, LED replacement products are a far superior option.

Holiday Lights

LEDs consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs, and decorative LED light strings, such as Christmas tree lights, are no different. Not only do LED holiday lights consume less electricity, they also have the following advantages:

  • Safer: LEDs are much cooler than incandescent lights, reducing the risk of combustion or burned fingers.
  • Sturdier: LEDs are made with epoxy lenses, not glass, and are much more resistant to breakage.
  • Longer lasting: The same LED string could still be in use 40 holiday seasons from now.
  • Easier to install: Up to 25 strings of LEDs can be connected end-to-end without overloading a wall socket.

Estimated cost of electricity to light a six-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days

Estimated cost* of buying and operating lights for 10 holiday seasons

*Assumes 50 C-9 bulbs and 200 mini-lights per tree, with electricity at $0.119 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (AEO 2012 Residential Average). Prices of lights based on quoted prices for low volume purchases from major home improvement retailers. All costs have been discounted at an annual rate of 5.6 percent. Life span assumed to be three seasons (1,500 hours) for non-LED lights.

Information provided by U.S. Department of Energy

Infographic: 5 Benefits of LED Lighting Research

If it seems like LED lighting is popping up everywhere you look these days, that’s because it is. Installation of A-type bulbs jumped 160 percent between 2014 and 2015, and those numbers continue to grow. Projections show that increased usage could save Americans nearly $630 billion in avoided energy costs between now and 2035. That’s because no other lighting technology has more energy-saving potential than LED lighting—also known as solid-state lighting (SSL).

But SSL is just scratching the surface of what it can do. With just 5 percent of its energy-saving potential met, continued research by government and industry could help unlock even more savings. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released a report recommending that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) continues its R&D efforts that address key technological challenges for high-efficiency SSL.

Why?

Because a strong focus on LED lighting research will benefit the country in these five compelling ways:

Information and graphic provided by U.S. Department of Energy

The Benefits of LED Lighting in the Workplace

People spend approximately a third of their day at work, so it’s not hard to imagine the importance of lighting in the workplace. The use of LED lighting is on the rise in homes across America and in the workplace as well. According to U.S. Department of Energy, “widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the United States. By 2027, widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity: This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants (1000 megawatts each), and a total savings of more than $30 billion at today’s electricity prices.”

There are various aspects where LED lighting in the workplace is important.

PRODUCTIVITY

Proper lighting is key for productivity and comfort in office environments and often determines the perception, mood, and performance of employees. A study by the American Society of Interior Designers found the following:

  • 68 percent of employees complain about the light in their work space.
  • 75 percent report that they could be more efficient and productive with better light.
  • 30 percent suffer from headaches due to eyestrain.
  • 25 percent report losing 15 minutes per day due to eye focusing problems. This is equivalent to one and a half weeks each year.

Enhancements in workplace lighting are closely tied with the improved performance of employees. In fact, a Cornell University study demonstrated that a 3 – 5 percent gain in worker productivity could be obtained with LED lighting. In the case of more industrial work places, better lighting with LEDs helps the intricate work involved in factories, resulting in more accurate performances and less mistakes, which ultimately keeps costs down and raises productivity.

Research further shows that LED lighting has a positive impact on employees’ physical, physiological, and psychological well-being, which affects their overall performance and even attendance in the workplace.

SAFETY

The high quality of LED lighting helps people be more aware of their surroundings at work, including little hazards that could cause someone to trip or fall. In addition to everyday risks, there can be sudden emergencies. Emergency exit signs are typically LEDs because of its clearness, brightness, and long lifespan. Those same attributes can translate to any workplace retrofitted with LED lighting. Especially in case of an emergency, it’s critical that offices, stairwells, and exits are well-lit to ensure everyone’s safety.

PERSONAL CHOICE

LED lighting allows personal choice in work environments, whether it involves what a person prefers or the task at hand. LED lights enable people to use different levels of lighting. Through the use of individual controls that employees can operate at their work stations, productivity and overall well-being can increase.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

LED lights require relatively low amounts of energy to power them. This can reduce lighting consumption by 55-90 percent. An LED light can typically last for up to 60,000 hours, which is considerably longer than incandescent and fluorescent lighting alternatives. This is not only better for your budget, but better for the environment too, by reducing carbon emissions. In addition, the disposal of phosphor and the particularly toxic mercury in the tubes is an environmental issue. They are not recyclable and eventually end up in landfills. LED lights do not contain any harmful chemicals and as a result are fully recyclable at the end of their life. The switch to energy-efficient LED lighting greatly reduces a company’s carbon footprint, showcasing the business as an example of environmental responsibility.

Switching to LED lighting can allow your business to reap many benefits. Contact us today for a free energy cost savings assessment and see what GreenTech Solutions Group can do for your company.