What is LED light?

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. The diode actually comes in the form of a computer chip on a circuit board and its properties cause it to generate light when an electric current passes through it. Different colours of the colour spectrum can be created depending on the chip and materials used.

LEDs are solid state technology and unlike their conventional lightbulb predecessors, they have no glass bulb, no pressurized gases, no mercury, and no burning filaments. Ninety percent of a traditional bulb's energy is emitted as heat while the light it produces is simply a by-product of electrifying a metal coil.

From the indicator light on your first walkman to the lights fixed above your head, LEDs have become the go-to solution for building, home, and municipal illumination.

Why are LEDs considered a GREEN technology?

LEDs are considered environmentally friendly for many reasons. First, unlike HID (High-Intensity Discharge) lights, LEDs contain absolutely no mercury. As a bonus, many LEDs are RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliant and have been designed to operate maintenance-free for more than a decade.

The benefits of choosing LED:

  • No concern over proper disposal.
  • Far less servicing and replacements required.
  • Greatly reduced potential for inconvenience-related costs associated with maintaining other lighting systems.
  • No natural resources lost to produce the replacement lamps that contain mercury.

How is LED lighting different from the conventional lighting?

LED lights are different from conventional lights in a number of different ways:

  • Lower overall energy consumption.
  • A significantly decreased environmental footprint. 
  • Significantly longer operating lifespan (on average, LEDs last three times as long as other lights). 
  • LEDs come in a variety of colours ranging from white to yellow and orange.
  • No mercury, lead or other known hazardous materials. 
  • Night visibility is improved due to higher colour rendering, higher colour temperature, and increased luminance. 

What are the performance advantages of using LED lights?

The LED lights of today surpass the performance of all previous incumbent lighting technologies. LEDs operate on far less energy than conventional incandescent lights - which are wildly inefficient. They also last longer (an average 10 years of normal use) and are more durable because they are solid state, shock-resistant, and can operate safely in plastic instead of glass. 

The truth is, LEDs are easier and safer to use than all previous lighting technologies.  LEDs save money by consuming less power, they requiring fewer replacements, and generate much less heat, which combine to result in lower cooling costs.

What are the economic advantages of using LEDs over conventional lighting?

Although conventional light sources are cheaper than LEDs initially, over time, the operational and maintenance costs of LED are significantly lower. LEDs have a much longer lifespan and greatly reduced maintenance requirements.

Because LEDs need to be replaced less frequently, less money is spent on new lamps and the labor needed to change them.

LEDs consume less energy; thus the overall cost of an LED systems is much lower than that of conventional lighting systems.

Why do LEDs have a higher initial cost than conventional lights?

Even considering the energy savings and low replacement costs, LED lights do come at an increased market price. Part of this is because they're so new; it's groundbreaking technology and more research and development is being compiled into LEDs than any other lighting technology today.

As our understanding of this technology advances prices will continue to fall. That said, it's unlikely that LED lights will ever reach the price point of standard conventional lights since more resources (even if they are renewable) go into the components.

Light emitting diodes are not simply based on the reactions of an electric current,  and LED chips are often engineered for specific lighting applications. This makes LED lights more like appliances than traditional, disposable lightbulbs.

Do LEDs have a longer life than incandescent bulbs?

Absolutely. Incandescent bulbs generally last 500-2,000 hours, whereas LEDs may last for 20,000-50,000 hours or roughly 20-40 years. So in fact, LEDs may last 25 times longer than incandescents. According to Consumer Reports, an LED light can save you $100-400 per bulb over its lifetime.

Can LEDs really help to improve human performance?

LEDs offer “biologically optimized” solutions that simulate the colour temperature of the sun and skylight. This has been proven to improve concentration and maintain alertness in people and particularly in students.  

Link - http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2012/06/optimized-lighting-conditions-help-students-improve-performance.html

What aspects need to be considered when replacing a conventional light source with LEDs?

Retrofitting with LEDs:

  • The lamp base / holder and fixing position.
  • Physical dimension of the LED lamp and how it fits into the fixture's existing housing.
  • The electrical specifications of the LEDs compared to the existing system.
  • Location and size of the light emitting surface (in relation to the luminaire reflector).
  • Photometric properties like colour temperature, light distribution, and lumen output.
  • Heat generated by the LED during operation and the maximum operating temperature.

How much can you save by using LEDs?

According to Consumer Reports, an LED can save you $100-400 per bulb during the course of its lifetime.

Link- http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/10/best-energy-saving-lightbulbs/index.htm