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LED Lights are gaining popularity for many reasons, such as longevity, versatility, safety and so much more. LEDs are becoming more popular both in commercial applications as well as household applications. They work well inside a space as well as outdoors and range from one watt per LED to high wattage fixtures in the hundreds of watts. They even can be a replacement for old-style lights by reducing energy costs and increasing efficiencies.
Why are LED Lights Better?
LED lights are rapidly transforming lighting technology. LED bulbs are more durable, reduce environmental damage, slash costs, and offer exceptional quality lighting as compared to traditional or incandescent bulbs. So, it is best to replace those superannuated 60-watt incandescent bulbs in your house or office with the energy-efficient alternative of LEDs. It is also best to upgrade those inefficient HPS, LPS, or metal halide lamps in outdoor spaces over to LEDs as well.
Due to advancements in technology, LED bulbs began illuminating larger areas, which was previously restricted to laboratory and smaller electronic devices. There are various uses of LED lights that are beneficial for individuals, business owners, and the environment. Here is a quick rundown of what makes them the go-to option.
1. LED Lamps Last Longer
LED lamps last longer than any other lamp on the market. Their typical life expectancy is over 50,000 hours; however, with recent improvements, we are now able to get a life of over 100,000 hours, which is 21 years or more depending on most usages. This also allows for maintenance to be cut down drastically by implementing LED fixtures. In the end, it means less cost for lamp changes, less time left in the dark, and reduced cost of energy consumption.
2. LEDs Use Less Electricity
LEDs use about half the energy of what it would require by a CFL and 10% of most other lamp options and run on DC power, making it perfect for solar lighting applications. This makes LEDs the go-to option for solar-powered lighting systems as there is no converter needed or power loss from switching from DC to AC power. For standard lighting applications, the converter is built into the lamp, so no extra parts are required to run the lamp. Operating the LEDs from solar power means a brighter, more efficient lighting system.
LED fixtures also use direction optics in many cases. The directional optics allow for a reduction of light pollution and wasted energy to illuminate areas not needed, such as the night sky. Since the fixtures push all light downwards and out to an area and are not wasted in unnecessary areas, the wattage requirements can be reduced, saving additional money by not requiring as many poles in many cases.
3. Endless Color Options
The color options are endless with LED lights since the LEDs themselves can be colored for the specific needs of the user. No filters are required to get the color required for any project. Older LEDs used to have a natural blue hue; however, we are now able to get closer to natural white light.
For example, in my home, I used color-changing LED lamps in most of the house. This allows us to set the color of the lamps from bright white in the 6K range to a warmer white in the 3K range. We also can set the lights to reds, blues, greens, oranges, etc. depending on what we are doing. They are all dimmable as well, so we can have them on bright when doing something that requires a lot of light, but then reduce their output to 10% and change the color to something more fun.
4. Easily Transition from One Application to Another
Applications vary from strand lights to standard bulb-shaped lights and everywhere in between. Small solar LED lights can be used in the garden to provide ambient lighting for pathways or social gathering areas. Low-level lighting requirements of these types of applications allow for a string of lights or smaller fixtures to be used to provide a good amount of illumination.
LEDs can also be used in a large number for commercial uses such as for buildings, streets, and signs. Larger fixtures and optics provide even more options since LEDs can be used for directional lighting. This means that most LED fixtures provide lighting where required and are dark sky compliant.
5. Additional Safety
LED lights are safer as they contain no mercury like fluorescent lamps. The lack of mercury means that LEDs are more recyclable than other lamps, up to 95% of an LED bulb can be recycled. This is great news, especially when looking for additional ways to help be a little greener. Best of all, there are no glass tubes to break and release gases and LEDs are more resistant to vibrations and impacts, unlike their fluorescent counterparts. This is perfect for indoor use.
6. Easily Replaces Existing Fixtures
LED lamps have been created in the same style as old-style lamps and can easily be installed into almost any fixture. Lamps have become readily available for households and have gained popularity since the phase-out of standard incandescent light bulbs. Find out more about the phase-out of incandescent lamps.
More on the Energy Efficiency of LED Lights
LED lights virtually produce no heat (limited to 80%) in the illuminating process, therefore they are relatively cool. Approximately 20% of electric energy gets transformed into light energy in these bulbs.
While in traditional bulbs, about 80% of electric energy is lost as heat energy resulting in only 20% efficiency, that is, conversion to light energy. This is exactly the reason why traditional bulbs blow out soon and LEDs have better longevity.
- LED lights encourage lower energy usage and guarantee higher safety due to the production of less heat.
- LED lights can reduce your electricity bills and carbon emissions.
- LED lighting solutions are quite affordable due to lower maintenance costs and a longer lifespan.
- LED bulbs are both energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
It is due to its lower energy consumption; LEDs are becoming more popular in remote areas. Despite these advantages, many people still buy traditional bulbs. The major reason why people are still choosing incandescent bulbs over LEDs is the price. Although LEDs are an expensive investment, the cost is quickly reimbursed over time in lower electricity bills. It is worth your investment for long-term benefits.
If every household across the globe replaces just one traditional bulb with energy-efficient LEDs, the world would save twice on their annual electricity cost and energy. Replacing your incandescent bulbs with LED lights may make a lot of monetary gains in the long run. So, LED lamps, whether for solar lighting systems or standard electric applications, are becoming the best option. What other reasons do you think should be added to this list? Let us know below.
