Blog

LED lighting represents the latest development in the lighting industry. The energy efficiency and considerable lifespan of LED technology holds all the potential for changing the way organizations brighten their facilities by reducing the cost of electricity and overall energy use.

What Is LED lighting?

LED stands for light emitting diode. An LED is a semiconductor device, generating light through a process called electroluminescence. When you pass an electric current through semiconductor material, it emits visible light. As such, an LED stands in exact contrast to a photovoltaic cell, which is the cell used in solar arrays to convert visible light into electricity.

We’ve known about the technology behind LEDs for years. Contributing to the development of solid-state transistors, LED technology helped to land an astronaut on the moon and enable the creation of portable AM radios!

In the early 60s, a young scientist working for General Electric developed the first LEDs. Companies first used them as indicator lights for circuit boards, and they became known for their durability and energy efficiency. Many municipalities used the second generation of LEDs, which became available in the 80s and 90s, as replacements for the traditional incandescent bulb in streetlights. Some people began to experiment with using them as a replacement for fluorescent lights in outdoor signs.

Advantages of LED Lighting

1. Long Lifespan
Compared to the lifespan of your average incandescent bulb, the lifespan of a LED light is far superior. The average incandescent bulb lasts about a thousand hours. The lifespan of an average LED light is 50,000 hours. Depending on how you use it, its life may be as long as 100,000 hours. This means that an LED light can last anywhere from six to 12 years before you need to replace it. That is 40 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

2. Energy Efficiency
Another one of the leading LED lighting advantages is their energy-efficient operation. You can measure the energy efficiency of a lighting source in useful lumens, which describes the amount of lighting that the device emits for each unit of power, or watt, that the bulb uses. In the past, we measured light by how many lumens it produced, but the reality is that some of these lumens go to waste. LED lighting produces less waste light and more useful lumens than other lighting technologies.

3. Improved Environmental Performance
It is becoming increasingly important for companies to become eco-friendly. Customers increasingly want environmentally friendly options and using an environmentally friendly light source can help companies reduce their energy use, as well as attract a socially conscious consumer base.

4. The Ability to Operate in Cold Conditions
Traditional lighting sources don’t like cold weather. When the temperature drops, lighting sources, particularly fluorescent lamps, require a higher voltage to start, and the intensity of their light diminishes.