Lighting For The Household ? We Certainly Have LEDs Now | Home ...

The popularity of LED lighting has grown tremendously in the past few years. Some of the most important reasons for this increase in popularity are attributed to the energy efficiency and prolonged existence of these lighting equipment. Unlike conventional lights, LEDs do not have filaments and they produce very little heat. However, they are high-priced to purchase compared to incandescent or CFL bulbs. Depending on the type of lighting fixture, a LED bulb may or may not be the most efficient at this time.

Light Characteristics:

To begin with, the lights were of cool and trendy color, but now, they come in pleasant colors which produce a better quality of light for faces, food items, and interiors. Since the tiny lights are directional, the LED does not create comparable light to the ordinary tear-drop shaped incandescent bulb used for work desk lamps as well as other home lighting fixtures. An incandescent bulb gives omni-directional light. It can light a lamp?s globe or a general area of a room ? whereas the LED does not accomplish this. LEDs are being used where directional lighting like recessed lighting, up-lighting, or when accent lighting is necessary.

Energy Efficiency and Demand:

LEDs use a little over 1/10th of power used by incandescent bulbs. LEDs produce very little heat; you can still touch the light after switching it off and still not feel hot to your fingers. Heat created by lighting can create great energy load demand when it comes to cooling an interior garden environment. Thus, the effective use of LEDs can result to reducing energy demand.

Length of Life and Cost:

LEDs can last a long time ? up to 30-35 years. A new 7.5 watt LED, which includes similar brightness to a 60 watt incandescent, has an operating life of about 50,000 hours, and costs from $70-$120. Over its life expectancy, it will cost about $25 to run. However, if you incorporate the cost to purchase and the cost to use, the CFL is a better buy than the incandescent or perhaps LED.

Non-Toxic:

Unlike the CFLs, the LED bulbs operate with no mercury. This makes the disposal and recycling of LEDs less dangerous, easier, and more environmentally friendly. However, CFL releases very minimal mercury compared to incandescent. About 50% of the electrical power produced in US comes from coal power plants. When coal is refined, mercury is one of the gases emitted. The CFL holds a small amount of mercury, so it requires lesser energy to operate and therefore produces small-scale energy demand on the mercury emitting electric power plants.

Conclusion:

When compared with the incandescent and the CFL, the LED is better in terms of energy efficiency and lesser operating cost. The LED produces a good quality of light for several tasks, requires practically 90% less energy than incandescent lights, is non-toxic, and has a long life. In terms of the normal table lamp, the pattern of light produced by the LED may not be best suited since it is more uni-directional but not omni-directional. New LED designs leads to bulbs that are not only beneficial to recessed lighting and even accent light, but also work effectively for general lighting and table lamps. Currently, in terms of over-all cost and lighting quality, the CFL is the best bulb for table lamps and general lighting for the house. The development of LED lighting is still unfolding and in the next number of years bulb prices should go down and new, more versatile bulb patterns created. Assuming these happen, the LED is the probable lighting source for the future.

Source: http://arbors.ra6.org/2012/02/22/lighting-for-the-household-we-certainly-have-leds-now/

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