LED’s… Lighting the way for the future
As we become more conscious of the need to reduce energy consumption, new technologies are beginning to develop. The biggest improvements, particularly in lighting, are the use of LED light bulbs, lamps and tubes. The low power usage and high light output make them perfect alternatives to standard incandescent and even halogen bulbs.So what are the benefits?
In traditional lighting sources, light is produced by heating a filament, gas discharge or converting ultraviolet radiation through fluorescence. All of these require much more energy to produce light than LED light bulbs, and waste away as much as 98% of that energy as heat. LED’s, on the other hand, convert a tiny amount of power input into pure light and very little else.
LED lights have a much longer life span than standard incandescent and halogen lighting. Some research suggests that one LED light will last as long as 50 halogen bulbs. Initially, LED’s are more expensive to purchase, however they have a payback of around 1-2 years and will constantly reduce energy bills thereafter. LED lighting systems are also suitable to be powered by solar solutions.
In traditional lighting sources, light is produced by heating a filament, gas discharge or converting ultraviolet radiation through fluorescence. All of these require much more energy to produce light than LED light bulbs, and waste away as much as 98% of that energy as heat. LED’s, on the other hand, convert a tiny amount of power input into pure light and very little else.
LED lights have a much longer life span than standard incandescent and halogen lighting. Some research suggests that one LED light will last as long as 50 halogen bulbs. Initially, LED’s are more expensive to purchase, however they have a payback of around 1-2 years and will constantly reduce energy bills thereafter. LED lighting systems are also suitable to be powered by solar solutions.
What should you look out for? 
The only disadvantage with LED lighting is that they aren’t always as bright as the bulb being replaced. Although developments in the industry are reducing and eradicating these differences, always check LED lighting by lumens and beam angle and not just by wattage. ‘Lumen’ is the measure of brightness and checking the beam angle will ensure this light isn’t highly concentrated to a small area.
The only disadvantage with LED lighting is that they aren’t always as bright as the bulb being replaced. Although developments in the industry are reducing and eradicating these differences, always check LED lighting by lumens and beam angle and not just by wattage. ‘Lumen’ is the measure of brightness and checking the beam angle will ensure this light isn’t highly concentrated to a small area.
So how much could you save?
For example, if you replaced just one 35W halogen bulb with the GU10 LED bulbs equivalent 4W, you would save £2.38 per year on your electricity bill and as much as £65 over the life of the lamp. These figures are on the assumption of only 3 hours usage per day, and on this basis the LED lamp would last 27 years.
To see how much you could save click here to use the savings calculator – or buy led light bulbs and start saving!
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