LED lamps are quickly becoming the preferred method of commercial and residential lighting for companies searching for “green” options that are cost effective. There are many reasons for this and today we are going to break it down for you.
Everybody’s first concern is always financial, and for good reason. LED lighting fixtures cost more than standard fluorescent or incandescent fixtures so there is going to be an up-front cost that can look unreasonable. However in some situations rebates are available to help offset that cost. The long term financial benefits greatly outweigh the initial cost due to multiple factors.
- LED’s are break resistant and generally do not suffer damage from vibrations, being harder to damage means you replace them less often. And because they don’t contain glass LED lighting is perfect for places such as the baby’s room or Grandma’s house.
- LED’s provide directional lighting which requires less energy than traditional lighting. Traditional bulbs are spherical and as such naturally use more valuable resources.
- In cold applications LED light output increases as temperatures drop making them a more efficient way to illuminate your refrigerated goods. Please note that LED lighting may not be an exceptional product in extremely hot temperatures as heat may affect their output capabilities or cause total failure.
- Traditional lighting such as fluorescent and incandescent uses more energy than LED’s. Most of that energy is consumed by the heat produced. Led lighting produces less heat making it the perfect choice in most lighting situations for safety and economy.
- Lastly the lifetime of a standard fluorescent ranges from 4,000 to 8,000 hours of operation while LED lights generally range from 30,000 to 50,000 hours. The saving here is obvious; by replacing fewer lights you will reduce the number of required service calls saving you money and time.
Aside from the long term financial benefits LED’s have more to offer in other ways.
- The standard fluorescent bulb will produce a flat white or plain light while LED lighting offers many choices. Due to the way LED lights are manufactured different colors of light can be used together in one fixture to produce a variety of effects.
- LED lights do not contain much in the way of ultra violet light such as that produced by fluorescent lights or infrared light produced by incandescent lights, both of which can be harmful to materials and people and do not assist the human eye in seeing. This lack of harmful emissions can boost the effectiveness of your lighting choices.
- If you are installing lighting in an application that requires dimming capability LED is great for that too. Many, though not all, LED products can be placed on a dimmer, however, care must be taken to ensure that the devices are compatible with the fixtures. Incompatibility can lead to inefficient operation or permanent failure.
- With their small sizes and directional lighting capabilities LED’s can be used in a vast variety of applications making them highly desirable for innovative and low profile lighting.
- Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury and phosphors making them an EPA nightmare, one must be careful to dispose of them properly. LED’s do not contain this hazardous material and are simple to dispose of.
Save money, save the planet, install LED lighting when and where you can.
Thanks and have an electrically charged day!!!
The team at SJO Electric