New LED Lighting Benefits

Light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting is the new trend in illumination. This lighting is quickly becoming standard in residential and commercial environments. It is an alternative to traditional incandescent and fluorescent lighting and may eventually replace these bulbs in all environments. LED lighting has the support of environmentalists, optical specialists, and productivity experts, for several reasons.

What is LED Lighting?

An LED light bulb is a solid-state lamp with a light source of light-emitting diodes. The small lenses or capsules within the bulb contain tiny chips mounted on a heat-conducting material. The LEDs may be organic, polymer, or semiconductor devices. The technology involved in diode creation is constantly improving, which may lead to additional types of LEDs in the future. An LED light bulb costs more than a traditional incandescent or fluorescent bulb, but price disparity is dwindling.

A traditional light bulb uses AC power to generate heat and light from gasses or filaments contained in a glass bulb. A light-emitting diode uses direct current, or DC, power. An external or internal rectifier circuit is used to operate an LED with standard AC power. The circuit provides low voltage, regulated current. High temperatures can damage or degrade LEDs, so an LED lamp usually features a cooling fin or heat sink.

Benefits of LED Lighting

These light bulbs are extremely energy efficient and this efficiency is steadily improving. Some can emit more than 100 lumens per watt. The efficiency of converting electric power to light is typically higher than that of an incandescent bulb. LED bulbs also have a long service life, with a white, high-power bulb lasting from 35,000 to 50,000 hours. Compare this to the 8,000 to 10,000-hour life of a compact fluorescent bulb.

While a conventional bulb gives off 80 to 90 percent of its energy as heat, an LED bulb remains cool, making it safer to touch. There is no filament to break, so it will not flicker or extinguish due to filament breakage. Instead, the level of illumination gradually fades until the user decides to replace the bulb. The lack of glass components in these bulbs means that vibration and breakage are not issues, making this type of bulb more suitable for sports facilities.

Fluorescent light is harsh on the eyes and contributes to eye strain, headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and other conditions. Some people acquire allergic skin reactions from exposure to fluorescent lighting. The noise, flicker, and glare of fluorescent lighting can even increase accident rates in certain environments. LED lighting has none of these negative effects.

The bulbs may feature bases identical to incandescent bulbs, allowing them to be interchangeable. Lumen output is marked on the bulb so customers can compare output with other types of bulbs. A bulb may even be marked with the watt rating of an incandescent lamp having the same output of lumens. This makes it easy for shoppers to find a bulb with the desired level of illumination. With LEDs, users receive instant, energy-efficient, non-flickering light.