A cutting-edge addition to the lighting industry, LED lights represent an energy-efficient and long-lasting solution to lighting problems. With numerous benefits over traditional lighting fixtures such as incandescent, HID, and fluorescent lights, LEDs have the upper hand in the market to transform the interiors of commercial and residential buildings. Along with their sleek appearance, LED lights have multiple benefits such as lower cost, energy saving, longer life, and sometimes utility rebates. Let us look at LED lighting and how it can benefit businesses in many ways.
What is LED Lighting?
The abbreviation LED is used for the term Light Emitting Diode. LEDs are small semiconductor chips that generate light by a process known as electroluminescence. When an electric current passes through a semiconductor such as the LED, visible light is emitted. It takes the tiniest amount of energy to light up an LED light. Hence, LED lights have been proven to produce up to 70% more efficient light than traditional light sources. LED lighting is even more valuable for commercial businesses since, due to its size, businesses use much more electricity.
What Are the Benefits of LED Lighting?
Over traditional lighting solutions, LED lights have quickly become the best choice in the lighting industry. Especially with commercial LED lights, it makes so much more sense to use LEDs instead of HID (High-Intensity Discharge), fluorescent, or incandescent for the following reasons:
Energy Efficiency: The unit of measure for the efficiency of a light source is Lumens/Watt. Lumen is the unit for how much light is produced by a light source. Watt is the amount of electricity used by the light source. By dividing Lumens produced by Watts consumed by the light, we can determine and compare the efficiency of different lights, similar to comparing car miles per gallon. LED lights are much more efficient since they produce more lumens per watt than metal halide lights. For example, the most common light used in the past for commercial parking lots was 400 Watt Metal Halide which produced on average about 32,000 lumens while using 400 Watts of Energy, which meant its efficiency expressed in lumens per watt was: 32,000 / 400 = 80 lumens/watt, to produce the same amount of lumens, a new LED light would only use about 213 watts (150 lumens/watt) slashing the energy bill by at least half. This translates to huge energy savings for commercial properties since they have large areas to light up.
Lumen Depreciation: All light sources lose their brightness over time. Lumen depreciation defines how much and how quickly a light loses its luminosity (brightness) over time. Before LED, the most common technology for commercial and industrial buildings used Metal Halide lamps which started their lumen depreciation (becoming less bright) right after their initial use. It was common for Metal Halide bulbs to lose half their initial brightness within the first two years of operation. This meant that metal halide needed to be replaced regularly, which meant a substantial increase in labor and equipment costs since some of the lights were installed on light poles higher than 20 feet. LEDs eliminated most of the maintenance costs and created savings beyond utility bills.
Control options: One of the biggest advantages of LEDs is that they turn on instantly. Old technology metal halide or high-pressure sodium lights would take a few minutes to come to full brightness. This meant that control devices such as motion sensors and dimming controls could not be used. With LEDs, a new realm of possibilities sprouted. Motion sensors that turned LEDs on/off or dimmed them when no people were around at different brightness levels at different times of the day became possible. In addition, due to their solid-state nature and compatibility, LEDs can be programmed or controlled remotely, allowing property managers to control them with their computers or smartphones.
Sleek design and reduced weight: All light sources before LED had to incorporate a light bulb into the light fixture. This meant that the light produced by the light bulb emitted light in all directions had to be controlled and directed toward the target area by reflectors and cumbersome housings. This also meant that 25 to 30% of the light produced got wasted since reflectors are imperfect in directing and controlling light. In contrast, LEDs are directional lights, which means that LEDs on a flat surface pointing down would not need cumbersome housings and reflectors reducing the weight and size of the light substantially. Smaller and sleeker lights can deliver the same or better performance than old technology lights reducing the strain on light poles, walls, and ceilings. For example, a 1,000-watt metal halide light fixture weighed up to 70 lbs; mounting them on light poles or walls was a hassle. An LED light that produces the same amount of light uses only 300 watts (70% savings) and weighs only 23 pounds!
Free money-Rebates: Since LEDs use 50 to 70% less electricity, many utilities offer substantial rebates for their customers to switch their old lights to LED. In some cases, the cost of the new LED lights is covered by the rebate amount. You should check with your utility company to confirm the qualifications for such rebates.
After-purchase customization: New generation LED lights come with built-in options that allow users to customize their lights after installation. Before LEDs, customers had to order specific products that locked them into particular settings for the product's life. For example, New generation LEDs come with an option to adjust the power setting or color temperature setting. With the power setting, lights can be adjusted to be brighter or dimmer. Controls for color temperature allow users to change the color of the light from very white (bluish tint) to soft white (yellowish tint).
Light control options: Before LEDs, reducing or preventing light spillage was an ordeal that meant adding sheet metal plates to work as shades to control the light. In parking lot lighting applications, neighbors living next to the parking lot may complain about light shining into their bedroom at night from the light poles. LEDs can be controlled by utilizing lenses (optics) that cover the LEDs so that light does not shine to unwanted areas as opposed to bolting on ugly metal shades to the light fixture.
Less heat production. As you can guess, since LEDs are more efficient and use less energy to produce the same light, they operate at much lower temperatures and produce less heat. This is especially important for LED lights used indoors. The heat produced by old technology substantially increased the burden on air conditioning systems. LEDs substantially reduce this burden, creating yet another energy efficiency saving with lower HVAC bills.
Concluding Thoughts: Advantages of LED Lights
A good LED-lit space, especially if is commercial, can do well in terms of attracting customers and keeping staff happy and comfortable while working. When the right, good-quality LED is chosen, it is beneficial to any business. However, switching and upgrading is not always easy – the options are numerous and can be overwhelming. LightMartis the solution you have been looking for. Offering a wide range of commercial LED lights, the provider presents the best quality indoor and outdoor LED lights for hotels, warehouses, garages, restaurants, showrooms, shopping malls, and more. Every project undertaken comes with the promise of industry-best warranties and consultancy to drive maximum efficiency and cost savings.