Fluorescents Are Out and LEDs Are in

LED light bulbs are an innovative product that’s leading the way in the market place. Many consumers especially commercially businesses are now investing in LEDs. Not only are LEDs environmentally friendly, but they are more cost efficient than regular fluorescent light bulbs and last for longer periods of time.

What is a LED?

LED means light emitting diode. LEDs are a solid state device and do not require heating of a filament to create light. Rather, electricity is passed through a chemical compound that is excited and that generates light. LEDs are not bulbs or lamps in the true sense of the word and application. LEDs require a lot of work to make them ready to be used by the consumer. They need to be placed on a circuit board or other material that will allow electricity to pass through it at specific voltages. The LEDs run on a variable current and can operate from 90 volt up to 305 volt capacity. No switching is required in the operation of the LEDs, which makes converting from bulbs and fluorescent easy and now cost effective. Less than 1% of the world has converted to LED.

Traditional bulbs use heat to light or illuminate the bulb. You are actually burning the very product that is producing the light. The heat immediately and over time destroys the bulb and the filament itself, which leads to failure. Fluorescent tubes heat up and burn gas to emit the light that is used practically in every office building, hospital, school, restaurants, hotels, and almost all buildings today. They’re also very toxic because they contain mercury that can not be allowed to get into our landfills.

Why switch to LEDs?

LEDs do not just “go out,” they are slowly dim over time. LEDs do not contain filament or glass enclosures, so they do not break by impact or vibration. They do not flicker, come on “half way” or need time to warm up such as fluorescent lights. They are instant on and thrive in cold environments with no re-strike time after a power failure. LEDs produce 95% less heat than traditional lighting, which reduces the cost of air conditioning dramatically. A 7-watt LED general light bulb can replace a 75-watt traditional light bulb that most of us have in our homes today. The commercial applications have the greatest impact on energy savings. A typical 30 foot ceiling in a warehouse usually has about 250 – 450 watt metal halide or high pressure sodium lamps that can be replaced by a 100-watt LED fixture. A typical warehouse can have about 50 – 200 of these fixtures and you can see the massive electrical savings.

LEDs can maintain 80% of their light capacity output or otherwise known as the LED definition end of life. A typical LED rating for usage is for about 12 hours a day for 365 days a year. This far surpasses traditional lighting that immediately starts to degrade because it is burning the filament or gas that is associated with them every time you turn them on.