With all of the media attention given to environmental issues these days, it is well known that the electricity that we use everyday is contributing towards harmful greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. If you believe in global warming, then you realize this is one of the issues that is exacerbated by these greenhouse gas emissions. While some people lead their lives not worried about these issues, there are many people who are making the small contributions that they can toward alleviating this problem. Using LED lighting is one of these methods.
For those out there who have never heard of it, LED stands for Light-Emitting Diodes and is a type of low emission lighting that does not contribute to these problems. The only problem is that it is not yet a part of the mainstream lighting market, but it is growing fast. Like anything of this nature, this type of lighting does have its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages include:
- A very low energy consumption level. This contributions directly to savings on your light bill!
- Lasts much longer than traditional lighting. It has been known to last up to 50,000 hours. That's way more than any other available lighting type.
- Can easily resist thermal shocks and vibrations. Normal light bulbs are useless when you drop or bump them. Not LED lights.
- Great for spotlighting due to a directional distribution. All of the light molecules can easily be sent in one direction without losing energy.
- There is no infrared lighting from LED lights. And there is no UV radiation, which is better for you and the environment.
- Contains no mercury making it safer.
- Cool to the touch so no need to worry about burning or turning off the lights for 30 minutes before you change them.
- They make great colored lights from anywhere on the light spectrum
Disadvantages include:
- A very limited variety and selection for your home compared to other types of lighting.
- Hard to find in smaller towns where consumers may have a smaller interest in this lighting alternative.
- Significantly more expensive than regular lighting and not budget conscious.
- Not good for residential flood lighting. You will need extra equipment to make this work
- Although they are available in many colors, the quality of the colors is not quite as good as with regular lighting.
LED lights can be a very useful tool in your home, especially if you are environmentally conscious or want to save money in the long run. These savings can really add up. If you were to run a single reading lamp with an LED bulb 12 hours a day for a year, it would cost less than 50 cents, and you would not have to replace the bulb. But even though they give off more light than a standard bulb, you will still need more of them pointing in many different directions to light up a room because the light is very directional.
And in the short run, LED lighting is not nearly as immediately affordable as traditional lighting. The cost problem becomes worse if you are changing out the existing lights as opposed to starting new. So whether or not these lights are of good use in your home depends on how you feel about them, and whether or not you are willing to make the necessary investment.
