What are the benefits switching to LED lighting
LEDs are are very small in comparison to standard light fittings, and can be used singly or as a group to optimise space and light.
The small size and low profile of LEDs allow them to be used in spaces that are too small for other lightbulbs. In addition, because LEDs give off light in a specific direction, they are more efficient when used than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, which waste energy by emitting light in all directions, for instance, a standard 100w lamp is emitting light left, right, up and down, when all you really need is light down.
The long life of a high power LED is also vastly improved in comparison to incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, normally ranging from 35,000 to 50,000 hours compared to 750 to 10,000 hours and the overall comparison is taken from the lumen output of all bulbs until the light falls beneath 70% of the original output.
Also most, if not all lighting previous to LEDs, waste most of their energy on heat, meaning the majority of power you are sending through your bulbs at home, or at work is dispelled as heat.
An incandescent or fluorescent bulb wastes 90% and 80% of pure heat respectively, and with bulbs near the ceiling, heat rising and your home presumably already using central or electric heating, this is just wasted energy that no one benefits from… other than your Electricity supplier!
LEDs however run cool, your 50w halogen spotlights, as you know when you come to change them, blow often and get extremely hot – LEDs run cool.
LEDs should always start up instantly, have no flickering and supply as much light as the bulbs you are replacing. All LEDs should be EnergyStar qualified and so hold the quality you would expect at the price the suppliers charge, these costs will turn into savings within the lifetime of a correctly fitted, quality LED.
Amazingly, LEDs can now be dimmed, which is relatively new in the world of LEDs, and is done so by rapidly switching on and off many thousands of times per second giving the appearance of a dimming light without causing any damage to the fitting and is also unseen by the naked eye.
SandCo Electrical recently did a study on commercial installations to see the savings in energy and therefore money, when going from 400w HID lamps to 90w LEDs.
We put this study to certain commercial units in the local area and one unit using the above 400w lamps had a fairly large area of lighting to change and in doing so, although a fairly large initial outlay was needed, is now set to make an £80,000 saving over the space of 10 years, not taking into consideration inflation. This is a huge saving and is magnified due to the extent and size of the unit but this same money saving process can be used on other commercial units or private dwellings.
With all the above pros, and with the only major con being the price, you can see that LEDs are the future – Save the Planet and Save your money!
Contact us regarding LEDs so we can let you know your annual saving in heat, electricity consumption, and most of all money!
