From Guest Blogger Diana Smith: The Benefits of LED Lighting
LED lighting is the best power-saving solution when it comes to illumination. Not only does LED light save energy, it’s also the most eco-friendly way of illumination today. Traditional lighting will without a doubt be completely replaced with this amazing technology, since the advantages of LED lighting are of major importance to both our planet and the users of these new technologies and advanced lighting innovations.
A long life
The biggest benefit of all would be the fact that LED lights can work for even 100 000 hours. This means they can last for 11 years, if they are continuously turned on, while they can even reach a 22-year life expectancy if you use only 50% of their power. If a LED fixture is on for 8 hours a day, you won’t have to change the LED bulb for at least 20 years. What’s more, LEDs differ a lot from standard lighting. Namely, unlike in traditional lights, LED diodes emit lower output levels for a long time, and instead of burning out, they just become less bright.
They are energy efficient
LED bulbs are 80-90% more efficient than standard ones. Unlike traditional lighting, which uses 20% of electricity for its power, and the other 80% for heat, LED bulbs do quite the opposite. Instead of wasting 80% on heat, they actually convert that percentage of electrical energy into light and the other 20% goes towards other forms of energy.
They are eco-friendly
In addition to a long life and energy efficiency, LED bulbs are also safe for the environment. Considering they’re 100% recyclable and contain no toxic materials, LEDs are completely eco-friendly. Not only do they contain no materials dangerous for the environment, they’ll help you reduce your carbon footprint by a third. A LED light bulb saves the material of 25 incandescent light bulbs, which makes it invaluable for the planet.
No UV emissions
LED lights produce close to no UV emission, which makes them excellent to use with materials sensitive to heat. Furthermore, they’re great for the illumination of UV sensitive objects, that can’t stand high heat. Museums, galleries, archaeological sites contain ancient and priceless items that may be damaged due to high UV radiation, so installing LED lights instead of standard ones is a great alternative. Therefore, if you’ve decided to add LED lighting to your household, be sure to contact professionals such as ASAP Electrical Services.
Powerful flexible design features
Another amazing benefit of LED lighting is that you can combine it in any shape in order to get the perfect illumination. When you need a dynamic control of light, colour and distribution, you can easily dim LEDs, and have a fantastic lighting effect. Airplanes, classrooms and other locations have been using LED illumination to set the mood and provide a good ambience for the mind.
Better quality
The fact that LED illumination can withstand rough conditions makes it irreplaceable for its users. Thanks to the sturdy components that LEDs are built of, their quality is excellent. They’re shock-resistant, can endure strong vibrations and extreme impact. Having all this in mind, you should definitely consider having LEDs for outdoor illumination. They’ll endure bad weather, wind, rain, and any sort of damage.
Having all the previous benefits in mind, consider installing LEDs in your home, office or any other location you spend time in. Not only will you save money on the electricity bill, you also won’t have to think about changing the bulbs for years. What’s more, you’ll also help the environment, by preventing large UV emission that standard lighting produces.
Readers may be interest to know about flexible LED strips which they can order via the Internet. Here is a link to the website:
https://www.aspectled.com/pages/about-us
You can get strips which are 16 feet long and come on a small reel. They are very thin, less than 1/2 inch wide, and come with an adhesive backing. The following link will provide more information on the strips:
https://www.aspectled.com/collections/flexible-led-strip-lights/products/w-wide-5050-ultra-bright#tab-1
You will note from the specifications that they can easily replace fluorescent tube lighting. One can choose strips for 12 volts or 24 volts and the same company provides power supplies of either voltage, some of which permit dimming. They are excellent for indirect lighting which provides very even and glare-free lighting.
Even so, there are places where incandescent lights still make more sense. LEDs cannot be used where temperatures are high such as in some appliances, including stoves and clothes dryers. Also, where usage is very minimal, such as only a minute or four per day, the additional cost of anything except incandescent lights really makes no sense whatever. Except in those situations, I expect incandescent lighting to be phased out.
From the article:
“In addition to a long life and energy efficiency, LED bulbs are also safe for the environment. Considering they’re 100% recyclable and contain no toxic materials, LEDs are completely eco-friendly. Not only do they contain no materials dangerous for the environment, they’ll help you reduce your carbon footprint by a third. A LED light bulb saves the material of 25 incandescent light bulbs, which makes it invaluable for the planet.”
Per this article, LEDs DO contain hazardous materials:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/led-lightbulb-concerns/
From the above article:
“Ogunseitan adds that while breaking open a single LED and breathing in its fumes wouldn’t likely cause cancer, our bodies hardly need more toxic substances floating around, as the combined effects could be a disease trigger. If any LEDs break at home, Ogunseitan recommends sweeping them up while wearing gloves and a mask, and disposing of the debris — and even the broom — as hazardous waste. Furthermore, crews dispatched to clean up car crashes or broken traffic lights (LEDs are used extensively for automotive and traffic lighting) should wear protective clothing and handle material as hazardous waste. LEDs are currently not considered toxic by law and can be disposed of in regular landfills.”
Also, unlike incandescent bulbs, LEDs require a low voltage power supply. Thus, one must consider not only the actual diode, but the low voltage power supply which it requires.
Here is another article which indicates that LEDS have environmental risks:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-my-parents-have-a-closet/
From the article:
” With LEDs, too, some health experts are concerned about toxic substances inside the bulbs and cleanup procedures, but new cheaper, shatterproof options that look and produce light more like incandescents are showing up on store shelves. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says with LEDs, too, consumers should recycle them whenever possible, but if local retailers do not have a drop-off program for the recycling of LED lights the agency says disposing of LED lights in household trash is acceptable.”
Whatever we do, there are hazards. With LEDs, it appears that the hazards are minimal, but surely accuracy requires refraining from stating that the hazards are zero.