LED lighting
Jul 31

LED Lighting

Light Emitting Diode or LED lighting has existed for many years, mostly in niche applications like small trinkets and indicator lighting. However, due to the high energy efficiency of LED lighting, not to mention its technological superiority over other light sources such as incandescent and flourescent lighting, it has reached beyond electronic applications into commercial and home LED lighting as well. A report by Global Industry Analysts predicted that the market for fluorescent and LED lighting could climb to $97 billion by 2010. The spike in growth has been mainly from construction and industrial development industries.

As more individuals become aware of the energy efficiency of LED lighting, the price of such items as LED bulbs will decrease in price. Currently, the price of one LED bulb is substantially higher than the price of incandescent or fluorescent lighting. However, the initial price for LED bulbs would more than pay for itself in the long run. On average, one incandescent 60-watt bulb lasts 1,000 hours whereas one 2-watt LED light bulb lasts 60,000 hours. Therefore, one would need to purchase 60 incandescent bulbs for every one LED light bulb.

Home LED lighting is a cut above the rest when it comes to energy efficiency. As compared to incandescent lighting, LED lighting wins hands down where energy consumption is concerned. For every 60,000 hours of usage, incandescent lighting uses approximately 3,600 kWh of electricity where LED lighting uses 120 kWh. Bottom line: energy efficiency equals a significant cost savings. LED lighting gives off directional light. Therefore, it is useful as a source of light for reading or spotlighting in the home. Its powerful light output also makes it great for outdoor floodlighting and path illumination. MR11 LED bulbs are now available that can replace most halogen or fluorescent light bulbs used in the home.

Although LED lighting may not be useful for all home lighting needs, even just replacing a few bulbs with LED bulbs would have a noticeable affect in the amount of electricity used, fro example shower lights in your bathroom or LED spotlights in your living room.

LED light displays are already widely used for signs and videos in many indoor and outdoor sporting events and concerts. LED video displays and signs are often preferred because of their higher brightness, which is critical when people are viewing a sign or video from a long distance. Added advantages of LED video displays are their capacity to incorporate curves and 3-D design. This makes LED video displays technologically superior to currently available large screen displays. Research and developers in the consumer electronics space are eager to take advantage of this overwhelmingly useful technology in future products.

Other uses for LED lighting include LED flashlights and key chains, automobile taillights and interior lights, and LED based projection televisions. LED lighting is also being used in the military for LED flashlights that work with night-vision goggles, UV-LED canteen water treatment devices and the sterilization of surgical equipment.

With LED lighting being more energy efficient and technologically superior to many other light sources, numerous LED light applications are sure to evolve. Future generations can expect to consider LED lighting as the standard light source for most lighting applications.

 
 

Lighting Your Home

Home lighting is extremely important when it comes to creating an atmosphere. There are hundreds of options of lights to choose from today including ceiling lights, wall lights, bathroom lights, table and floor lamps, kitchen lights, and LED lights. Different lights are more suited to different rooms within the house. Here is a look at which lights are better used in certain rooms and for certain purposes.

Lighting the bathroom

Bathroom lights are different to ordinary room lights as the lights need to be able to work in the humid atmosphere. Bathroom lights come in a few different options such as bathroom wall lights, recessed downlights, shower lights, and mirror lights. Mirror lights are a great option because not only do mirrors give a sense of space and open up an area but they will mirror the amount of light as well giving ultimate space and light to the bathroom. Bathroom lights are never low hanging, they are always flush to the ceiling or to the wall so none of the space of the bathroom area is taken away, MR11 LED spotlights are perfect for this.
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Benefits of LED

LED or Light Emitting Diode lights are solid state lighting

units that are made up of a grouping of smaller units, operating using a semiconductor diode that produces an ‘electroluminescence’ effect to create the light.  Although LEDs were invented in the 1920s they weren’t really produced in a practical form until the early 1960s. LED spotlights can provide a great alternative to halogen lamps.  Higher wattage versions of LED spotlights e.g. 3 watt, can be used for normal area lighting, and even lower wattage (2 watt) can be used for accent lighting. If you haven’t really thought about using Led lights, or know little about them, her are a number of great reasons for using them for your home, business, or even vehicles.

As previously mentioned, these lights don’t use heated filaments, or gas and filament combinations to create light, and unlike incandescent bulbs they hardly produce any heat at all.  This gives their application even wider scope, and it means that LED candles for instance aren’t likely to damage precious  or delicate items and surface they’re placed next to. Also, LEDs don’t contain / give off toxins e.g. mercury, which is good for us and our environment.
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