The LED technology is seeing a significant surge in popularity when it comes to use as street lighting. LEDs are appreciated for a variety of reasons. One of the major benefits is the wider coverage of the lumen output. By improving the uniformity of the output there are fewer areas left in darkness, which is essential for all-round safety and visual sharpness.
Here are several benefits of using LED street lighting
Environmentally friendly
A great reason to replace the traditional street lighting with the LED alternatives is because they are pretty environmentally friendly. LEDs need a lot less electricity to run and are nearly twice as energy-efficient as the compact fluorescent lamps. They have the ability to operate on just 15% of the energy required for a traditional incandescent bulb. Plus, the LED bulb can emit up to 80 lumens per watt, which is notably higher than the 58 per watt for the standard streetlights.
Greater durability
LEDs are not manufactured using arc tubes which is common with most High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps. Instead, they use diodes that give greater strength and resistance to provide the long-term service. Plus, they are a lot less likely to break when being handled.
Extremely long lives
LEDs have the advantage of having an extremely long lifespan, which has the potential to reach 12-15 years or up to 100,000 hours. These lights do not include the type of filaments that burn out after a relatively short period of time. Plus, the LED bulb is entirely free of mercury, lead or other toxic chemicals which are common in mercury-vapor lamps and high-pressure sodium lamps. Because of the long life cycle of these lights there is certain to be a lot less need for general maintenance. This type of light is most practical in places where light bulbs are difficult, inconvenient, or expensive to have replaced.
Are there any downsides
Even though there are plenty of benefits related to using these LED bulbs, there are also a couple of downsides. One issue that is likely to be noticed from the outset is the high initial expense. Many of these lights can cost over double the price of the more traditional lights. Plus, the type of light is generally limited to directional light, so less effective at providing the spherical “glow” that emanates in every direction. For this reason the lights are more practical for the forward facing or hanging streetlights, and not the lamp style.
