LED Lighting is the new technology that has quickly replaced conventional lighting, i.e., incandescent, fluorescent, and HID lamps. LEDs (short for light-emitting diodes) derive their name from the central diode, which comprises semiconductor materials such as silicon and selenium.
LED lighting tends to generate light by passing an electric current through the semiconductor material that is the diode. In this case, electrical energy is used to generate visible light.
The origin of LEDs: Even though LED lighting has risen to surmountable fame recently, the technology was initially developed half a century ago, in the early 1960s. However, the lighting industry took quite some time to catch up and develop cost-effective LED solutions.
LED lighting solutions have proven to be far superior to their predecessors in all regards, which is why LED light bulbs and fixtures are quickly replacing traditional incandescent bulbs.
The working mechanism of LEDs is quite simple. Visible light is produced by passing an electrical current through the semiconductor material. It works on the principle of electroluminescence. A brief overview of this work is mentioned as follows.
The underlying working principle: The LED is a semiconductor composed of an n-type and p-type semiconductor material doped by dipping into doping material. The introduction of other materials slightly alters the p-type and n-type. When power is applied, the electrons jump from the electron-rich to the electron-deficient terminal across the p-n junction. Visible light is generated using this activity of electron migration.
working principle of LEDsUnlike incandescent bulbs, visible light is generated when the electric current produces heat in the filament. On the contrary, LEDs generate visible light using electron migration in the semiconductor.
LED Lighting offers a plethora of benefits over conventional lights. Thus, traditional fluorescent and incandescent bulbs are being replaced by LED lights. We’ve mentioned some of the advantages of LED lighting as follows:
The primary advantage of LED lighting is its energy efficiency. LED lights produce the same light quality and output as traditional fluorescent and incandescent bulbs but consume only a fraction of the power. Statistically speaking, LED lighting consumes 18% more electricity than conventional fluorescent lamps and up to 85% less lighting when compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs. Thus, offering massive energy savings.
A significant fraction of electricity worldwide is used in the production of lighting. Adopting LED lighting not only consumes less energy and saves electricity but also reduces the electricity cost by a fraction.
Incandescent bulbs are extremely hot to the touch due to the absence of a thermal management mechanism. LED lighting fixtures use heat sinking and thermal management mechanisms, effectively dissipating heat into the surroundings. Thus, preventing the LED light fixture from heating up and causing high temperatures in the surroundings.
It also means that LED light bulbs can be used when temperature sensitivity is an issue. Therefore, an LED bulb can be used with heating and air conditioning systems. Less heat generation also saves the light fittings and surroundings from deterioration due to heat.
One of the primary advantages of switching to LED lights is the massive cost saving on the electricity bill. Most individuals believe that LED lighting solutions are expensive due to the high initial cost. The truth is, the lower power consumption and maintenance cost offset the high setup cost. In the long run, LED lights to save money as they lower the electricity bill, require less maintenance and can be used for years on end.
Thus, LED lighting has a multiprong approach to saving money.
LED has an instantaneous mode of action. The LED bulbs and fixtures do not require a warm-up period leading to a delay in light production like conventional fluorescent tubes. On the contrary, LED bulbs switch on and off in nanoseconds without a lag.
They are also free from flicker, which inadvertently further increases their appeal.
Since the LED lights do not require frequent replacements, there is less worry about keeping up with maintenance. It inadvertently aids in bringing down the time, effort, and money required to keep up the maintenance.
This feature further paves the way for LEDs to be used in rather inaccessible and remote locations.
LED technology uses semiconductors and thus is known as solid-state devices. The LED bulb is therefore comprised of solid material. Hence, it is also referred to as solid-state lighting.
There is no tube or filament inside the bulb, nor is there any glass prone to breakage. An LED bulb, thus, continues to work as usual even after being dropped as it is rugged. On the contrary, incandescent light bulbs are not rugged, and the fragile glass shatters into pieces on a single slip.
LED light bulbLED bulbs have a long life. Although the LED performance largely depends on usage, the average LED offers 35,000 and 80,000 operational hours.
Thus, it essentially means that the LED lamp, bulbs, and fixtures last for several years before the light tends to become dim and replacement is required. It only means that this light bulb lasts several times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
It is a common phenomenon to witness bugs gathering around the light source. Incandescent light has proven to attract bugs and insects, making them inconvenient for outdoor use.
Some solid evidence suggests that LED lights attract fewer bugs and insects. Therefore, LED lighting can be extensively used as outdoor lighting instead of conventional outdoor light sources.
Unlike most conventional lighting technologies, where the bulbs or the light fixture abruptly stop working, LED lighting tends to dim over time. LED lighting fixtures lose 50-70% of their brightness over time.
Thus, it gives ample time to change the LED fixture, unlike blown-out incandescent bulbs and conventional flickering lights.
In the present age of rampant environmental degradation and climate change, adopting a more green approach to all areas of life is crucial. It cannot help reverse the damage that has already been caused. However, it can help reduce the damage.
Light-emitting diodes are environmentally friendly means of lighting. There are several reasons why LED lights can be considered so.
CO2 emission is considered the primary contributor to deteriorating environmental conditions. Thus, all these reasons make LED lights a great source of green energy.
Unlike most conventional lighting technologies, LED lights allow greater control over the light output. It means one can adjust LED light bulbs’ brightness and light output. However, no such thing can be done in the case of conventional fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps.
So, whether you want full brightness or a little less, it is all adjustable with dimming technology with LED lamps.
The LED light bulbs enhance the safety factor by multi-folds. There are several reasons why LED bulbs are safer.
Unlike most conventional lighting technologies, the light emitted by LED bulbs is not scattered in all directions.
While conventional lighting technologies emit light 360 degrees direct, LED ones focus the light 180 degrees around the source. You can play with beam angles and adjust them anywhere between 20 degrees to 120 degrees.
The LED uses total internal reflection that gathers light to increase the overall utility of light.
Unlike traditional light sources that offer warm and white light only, LED Lighting offers a diverse color palette. The light-changing LED strip lights are particularly popular now. Various color spectrums can be produced through different colored LED lights, typically red, green, and blue, or RGBW.
Unlike conventional light sources, LED technology is compatible with smart home solutions. With the rise in the use of Amazon Alexa and Google Home and the ease offered by smart home applications, their use has exponentially risen.
Thus, LED lights offer a brilliant solution to fully integrate your home and turn it into a smart home.
With this many advantages of LED lighting, it is only natural to wonder what is the disadvantage of LED lights. One may also wonder whether there are any disadvantages in the first place.
However, virtually everything in the world its pros and cons. LED lighting also has a particular set of drawbacks. Some of the disadvantages are mentioned below:
The performance of LED lights is highly dependent on the ambient temperature of the environment where LED operation is carried out. If the LED light fixture, bulb, or lamp is subjected to high ambient temperatures, it could lead to the failure of the LED device. Thus, it can prove to be catastrophic, especially in sensitive applications.
The LED systems, particularly the white light sources, produced proportionally more blue light than what is defined as safe for the human eye. The blue light that results from blue and cool white LEDs adversely affects the human eye by increasing the incidence of glare and compromising vision.
Studies also indicate the role of blue light in the increased incidence of age-related macular degeneration and damage to photoreceptor cells.
LED lightsMost cool white LEDs emit a high proportion of blue light compared to several other conventional light sources, such as high-pressure sodium lamps, thus leading to a great incidence of light pollution.
The growing blue pollution adversely affects the circadian rhythms leading to a deterioration in sleep quality and, thus, overall quality of life.
Thus, considering the growing use of LED lights resulting in more light pollution, the International Dark-Sky Association has compiled a few recommendations for choosing the right lighting system.
The International Dark-Sky Association recommendations include using fully shielded fixtures and avoiding white light sources with a correlated color temperature above 3,000 K.
Most outdoor LED lights have correlated color temperatures of over 4000 K, which contributes to blue pollution as they are said to contribute up to 2.5 times more light pollution.
The voltage and current of the LED fixtures ought to be maintained on the optimal operational levels, as a deviation from optimal tends to affect the lifespan of an LED fixture adversely.
The main reason for flickering in LEDs is disrupted power supplies.
Unlike the common fluorescent lamps and incandescent sources that disperse light in a spherical light field, the LED fixtures have a directional action and allow only a limited degree of divergence.
LED lights have been continually under development to make the most out of their benefits and adequately counter their drawbacks. Regardless of their disadvantages, LED lights are extensively used due to their advantages, particularly energy efficiency.
A walk-through of the advantages and disadvantages of LED lighting is aimed at bracing you with enough information to make an educated decision regarding the use of LED light sources in your homes, offices, and other areas.
The LED lights must always be purchased from a reliable manufacturer or provider. Due to the lack of standardization in the LED lighting industry, it is common to fall prey to poor-quality LED light providers. RC Lighting is a high-quality provider of all-encompassing LED light solutions.
RC Lighting provides high-quality lighting solutions at an extremely economical price compared to the rest of the competitors. Moreover, the company has experience of over a decade of providing high-quality LED lighting solutions.
RC Lighting is also a customizable LED lighting solution provider that tailors the lighting plans according to the customer’s requirements.
What makes it more lucrative is that each RC Lighting product comes with a warranty of 5 years which makes the company a highly dependable source of LED packages.
Ready to buy from RC Lighting? Contact us today.
When it comes to home lighting, you have several options at your disposal. There are four main types of bulbs you can pick from, and they include CFL, incandescent, halogen, and LED. Once you make a selection, you need to decide the best brightness based on lumens.
Here in Seattle, WA, LED bulbs are becoming more popular. At Brennan Electric, we have experience with lighting and can offer you our expert advice. Below are some pros and cons of LED lights to keep in mind.
An LED light bulb has the longest lifespan of all the bulb options. Some tests show that an LED bulb will last at least 50,000 hours. Depending on its use, the longest a bulb can last is 100,000 hours. There are others that can also last up to 75,000 hours. Comparatively, an incandescent light bulb is known to last up to 2,000 hours. Every time the bulb is turned on, it takes a little out of it. This goes for LED lights too. So, if your bulb is turned on and off frequently, it may have a shorter lifespan.
Today, prices often factor into the lifespan of a product. In terms of a computer, the more memory it has initially, the more you will pay. If you were in the market for a new AC unit, the higher its SEER rating, the more expensive the price tag because you are paying for an energy-efficient unit. An LED bulb follows the same logic. Since it has a longer lifespan, you will be paying more upfront because it is an investment. A less expensive bulb is great in an emergency situation. If you do not want to replace bulbs soon, however, you are encouraged to go for the investment.
In addition to having a long lifespan, the LED bulb is energy-efficient, too. This is another reason it is an investment. Studies show that an LED bulb is 80% more energy-efficient than an incandescent bulb. They are also more efficient than their CFL counterparts. To help illustrate how much more energy-efficient LED bulbs are compared to others, for every 60 watts of power an incandescent bulb uses to produce lumens, the LED version only needs 10.
Another plus is that when you flip on the light switch, the bulb immediately illuminates. With other types of bulbs, there is a hesitation because they have to heat up first. When they are hot, they become bright. In the winter and cold months, incandescent bulbs may flicker until they heat up.
Lighting effects can be created through the use of dimmers. Unfortunately, LED bulbs are not compatible with dimmers. If you would like the convenience of a dimmer, you will have to find the switch that is specifically compatible with LED bulbs. LED technology has advanced a lot as far as energy efficiency goes, but the dimming feature still has a way to go. Those who have their heart set on dimming features should opt for incandescent bulbs instead.
A nice feature that LED bulbs offer is that they are 80% light and only 20% heat. Halogens, on the other hand, get so hot when they are on that they will burn your hand if you try to pick them up or touch them. If they ever fall over and crack, they can start a fire. Incandescent bulbs can also become very hot, but not as hot as halogens.
LED bulbs can overheat if they are exposed to heat, so the best way to ensure they work well is to keep them protected with a lampshade or sconce. If they are exposed to heat for an extended period of time, their expected lifespan shortens. When you notice that an LED bulb flickers, it is most likely because the bulb is not paired with a compatible transformer.
The LED bulb is very environmentally friendly. For starters, it does not contain mercury. CFL lights, on the other hand, do. Since the LED bulb is energy-efficient, this makes it even friendlier for the environment. Any technology or big-ticket appliance that does not consume a large amount of energy is good for the environment. LED bulbs are also sturdier than their counterparts. If you accidentally knock over a lamp that has this bulb, it will keep working. If an incandescent light bulb is bumped and you remove it to give it a shake, you might hear something loose inside. The noise you hear is made by a broken filament. An LED bulb’s technology is one of the reasons why it is becoming a popular bulb for Christmas lights. The days of one bulb going out in a string of lights are almost gone. The LED is less likely to break or burn out.
An LED bulb is directional instead of illuminating in all directions. When you take a look at an LED bulb, you will notice that it is frosted. The frosting helps to distribute the light in all directions. If you pick up a bulb and it has that frosting, this is how you know it is an LED as opposed to an incandescent or halogen bulb.
When you finally need to replace an LED bulb, be mindful of the fixture. Some fixtures do not have removable LED bulbs. When this is the case, you are going to need to replace the entire fixture. The good news is that an LED bulb has a long lifespan. By the time its life begins to fade, you will most likely have got far more use out of it than if it had been a different type of bulb.
Researchers have been working on LED technology since the 1950s. Like most other technology, the LED started as a project for private use. Then, experts figured out how to produce the technology for more practical uses. LED lights were first produced in green and red. The first mainstream use of this bulb technology was in the 1980s when the Super-Bright LEDs were released in yellow, bright red, and green. The ultra-blue light was invented in 1994. When the white light was finally produced, it was treated like a breakthrough that was encouraged by the U.S. Department of Energy. Professionals in the lighting industry point out that LED light technology is still evolving. The latest development was the ultra-violet black light.
Overall, the pros of LED lights outweigh the cons because they are more energy-efficient. Their longer expected lifespan means that by the time you need a replacement, LEDs have already paid for themselves.
For more information about LED lights, give Brennan Electric a call today. We offer surge protection, generators, and electrical services for residents throughout Seattle and Lynnwood.
Contact Brennan Electric today