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An interesting article by Kosnic:

LEDs were invented more than 50 years ago but they have taken decades to provide their worth in mainstream applications.  Problems with colour rendition, lack of standardisation, and inability to dim have given LED lams a bad press and created confusion within the marketplace.

However, innovations in LED lighting technology and new product development are prompting an e-evaluation of whether now is the right moment to realise the carbon savings and energy efficiency of LEDs.

There are three main benefits of LEDs:

Robust
LEDs are solid state light sources and so are very robust.  While an incandescent lamp will last for approximately 1,000 hours, an LED alternative will last for up to 40,000 hours.  Many manufacturers will be happy to guarantee this period of operation, offering free replacements in the event of early failure.

Therefore, an LED lamp fitted in a reception area and used for seven hours every day of the week, will still be functioning after 10 years.  This delivers both energy and maintenance savings.  In a large office or hotel, it is common to find one person from the mainainance stream dedicated to changing light bulbs!  Switching to LEDs allows mainainance staff to focus on other activities.

Energy savings
The real cost savings, however, are apparent when calculating energy savings.  LEDs are highly efficient light sources that release only a tiny amount of heat and have low power consumption.  There are millions of GU10 halogen lamps in use within canteens, reception areas, consulting rooms, etc.  The LED direct replacement for this halogen lamp is 88% more efficient giving the following cost-benefit calculation:

The cost of the 50W GU10 is £1.00

The cost of a LED replacement is £9.00

If the lamp is lit for 12 hours per day, with an electricity cost £0.12 per KWH, the cost of operation for the conventional lamp will be £20.00 per year, whereas the LED is only £2.40. Even taking the initial purchase price in to consideration, the payback period will be seven months. Remember, these are the figures for only one lamp.

Versatile
Many LED lamps can be retrofitted in five minutes and, unlike old-style bulbs, they light instantly.  Businesses should look for quick wins such as areas where lamps are lit for long periods and lights are kept on for more than 5 hours a day. Good examples include corridors, stairwells and landings, reception areas, offices and warehouses, and canteens and rest rooms. Used in these areas, LED lighting can also provide a better quality of light than traditional bulbs – eliminating flickering and associated ailments such as headaches and eye strain.  LED lighting also gives off negligible heat and so is safer for environments where lamps are situation close to staff.

This safety, the need of the public sector to tackle carbon emissions and reduce costs, coupled with product innovation from LED manufacturers means that re-evaluating lighting strategies is now a potentially highly valuable exercise.

shuttla

Novel Energy Lighting

energy saving · lamps · LED · LED lamps · lighting · payback

LED lighting saved £430 million worth of electricity in the US last year, according to a study by the US Department of Energy. Focusing on the most common lighting applications, the DoE estimated that 49 million LED lamps and luminaires were installed last year, saving about 71 trillion units.

©Lux Magazine, July-13

Shuttla
www.novelenergylighting.com

DOE · electricity savings · LED · led bulbs · LED lamps · lux magazine · Novel Energy Lighting