Benefits of Switching to LED Lighting in Your Home or Business

LED lighting is the latest development in the lighting industry. Whilst it has been around for quite a few years now, it has been constantly evolving and improving in almost all aspects. There are still huge benefits of LED lighting, and that is cost and lifespan, but now with much more variety, reliability and other options. Switching your entire home to LED could be a way to save a noticeable amount on your energy bill, especially with energy costs on a dramatic rise. There are also some other benefits too so let’s take a look.

Lifespan

A normal incandescent bulb canals about 1000 hours but LED bulbs last 50,000 hours and depending on use up to 100,000 hours. Averagely they last 40 times longer but are only a little more to purchase. Compared to fluorescent, sodium vapour or metal halide bulbs they will last two to four times longer.

Energy Efficiency

We all know that LED lighting is much more energy efficient by the number of lumens (amount of useful light) they produce compared to the wattage they require. But they also produce far more useful lumens than conventional bulbs where a lot of their light is wasted. A complete switch to LED lighting should give an average of 65% increase in energy efficiency in your lighting bill and up to 90% improvement depending on what ones you choose and what bulbs you are replacing.

Improved Environmental Performance

For businesses, it’s becoming increasingly important to satisfy customers’ demand that the companies they use are eco-friendly. The environmental benefits of LED lighting extend into the manufacturing process. Fluorescent and mercury vapour lighting use mercury in their manufacturing and require special disposal whereas LED doesn’t.

Better Performance in the Cold

Traditional lighting doesn’t like severe cold, particularly fluorescent and the temperature also negatively affects their light output. In commercial uses, this is much better for outside lighting and freezers etc.

No Heat or UV Emitted

Traditional incandescent bulbs can turn up to 90% of their energy used into heat which is the main reason they are so inefficient. LEDs emit almost no heat, and which is why they are being used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). No UV light means they don’t degrade art and other printed materials. 

Flexible Design

LEDs can be tiny, so they are far more flexible than traditional bulbs for lighting smaller areas.

Instant Light Withstanding Constant Switching

The current generation of LED lighting switches on and off instantly compared to halide bulbs or fluorescent strip lighting. They also have no issue with wear and tear by being continuously turned on and off which is a major advantage. This means they can be rapidly cycled for flashing displays in commercial use with no issues.

Low Voltage Operation

Because LED lighting requires a much lower voltage, they are safer in emergency situations like flooding for example. It’s much safer to get a shock from 12 volts than it is from a circuit operating at a much higher load.

Dimming

LEDs work well across any voltage from 5% up to their 100% recommended full capacity. This makes them ideal for dimming compared to traditional dimmers that burn off excess heat, hum and also blow bulbs more frequently. 

Directionality

All traditional forms of light emit at 360 degrees, whereas LED only emits at 180 degrees. With older forms, if you don’t redirect the light you’re wasting half of it so again their efficiency in kitchens and hallways or bathrooms is much, much greater.