Despite the wide variety of lighting options available, cutting edge LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) carry several significant financial, practical, and environmental benefits that cannot be ignored in today’s forward-thinking societies. Unlike other light sources, an LED light is comprised of a semiconductor, which is more easily produced and allows for more controllable and unique lighting solutions. We have created the following list in order to help people understand why LEDs are rapidly becoming the world’s most preferred light sources:
When compared to conventional light sources such as incandescent bulbs, American Illumination’s LED engines have a significantly longer lifetime and are built to last 40,000 hours or more – approximately 4.5+ years if lit 24 hours a day. If lit 8 hours per day, 7 days a week, the LED should operate for over 10 years without before needing a replacement! LED’s are built to last 30 times longer than incandescent, 25 times longer than halogen, and 10 times longer than fluorescent.
2. Low Power, High Efficiency
LEDs use up to 80% less power than conventional light sources, including incandescent or halogen. Incandescent bulbs, for example, require substantial heat for the filament to generate light, which is wasted energy because a large fraction of the available electricity is not being used to produce visible light. With LEDs, a much higher percentage of the electricity is used directly to produce light, thus considerably cutting down on power usage. Today’s cutting edge technology is yielding even more efficient LEDs, measured as light output per unit power input.
3. Low Heat
LEDs product less heat relative to other conventional light sources and will not increase the temperature of the surrounding environment. Since most of the power used is converted into light, minimal heat is produced and touching an LED light source will not burn one’s fingers. This low heat emittance makes LEDs ideal for retail environments as well as illuminating heat sensitive products such as cosmetics or chocolate.
Unlike incandescent, HID or fluorescent lamps, rubbing, intense movement or vibrations to the fixture should not affect the performance of LEDs.
5. No Infrared or UV Radiation
LEDs do not produce infrared or ultraviolet light. This makes LEDs especially ideal for illuminating precious artifacts, paintings, clothing, or other items that are susceptible to fading or deterioration due to UV rays.
LEDs will instantaneously operate at full brightness after being turned on at a rate that is approximately one hundred times faster than conventional light sources. This makes LEDs ideal for commercial vehicles, emergency lights, law enforcement, etc. as LEDs are more noticeable, more reliable, and brighter.
7. Cost Effective
The use of LEDs means little to no maintenance costs as well as substantially lower energy and electricity costs – sometimes up to 80% savings or more over the lifetime of the LED engine. Since LEDs are much more durable, versatile, and longer lasting than conventional light sources, the savings become apparent within the few years after installation because little to no money is spent on maintenance and/or replacements.
8. Versatile Applications
With an extensive range of LED light colors, sizes, arrays, and retrofit capabilities, LEDs are able to satisfy almost any lighting solution. Designers and OEMs can select from a spectrum of light colors, whereas conventional lighting has limited color choices and often require either color paint or expensive filters in order to create colors other than white. In addition, LEDs are waterproof and are able to withstand outdoor conditions remarkably well, such as dry heat, humidity or the cold. LEDs are dimmable and can be used with materials such as plastic, rock, steel, brass, wood, and more, making them perfect for both indoor and outdoor illumination. To date, LEDs have been used for landscape lighting, automotive/marine lighting, back lighting for advertisements, retail display lighting, museum interior illumination, floodlights, refrigeration lighting, emergency/safety lighting, traffic/roadway lighting, stage/theater lighting, and much more.
9. Environmentally Friendly
LEDs are energy-saving light sources due to their low power draw and will remain functional for many years longer than conventional lighting. Due to their longevity, LEDs require lesser replacements and will therefore contribute less waste in the long run. LEDs will not increase the temperature of the surrounding environment, and do not contain any harmful gases such as mercury. Furthermore, LEDs can be controlled so that they produce less light when there are no people in the vicinity, thus minimizing light pollution in metropolitan areas.