LED Lighting

In that past few years, LED lighting has undergone major improvements in design, performance, and application.  Previously used mostly for display and specialty lighting, LEDs have now emerged as a viable source of general indoor and outdoor commercial lighting.  This breakthrough came as a result of engineering developments that made it possible to produce white light with solid state components.  These energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly lamps are now rapidly becoming competitive alternatives to every traditional form of fixture and lamp.  Many experts predict that LED lighting may actually become the dominant light source in the world some day.  While there is no way to know in advance when and if this will actually happen, it is safe to say that led lighting is no doubt here to stay, and will only continue to both improve and penetrate new markets as concerns over lighting pollution, energy savings, and environmental quality continue to mount worldwide.

How LEDS Work

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode.  A diode is a solid state semiconductor that emits light when a voltage passes through it.  While diodes have been around for decades, they have only very recently found their way into general lighting applications.  This is because LED lights up until a few years ago were incapable of producing the type of white light the human eye requires for the safe performance of tasks and the proper differentiation of colors.  Also, early LEDs did not produce enough lumens per watt to make them powerful enough for general indoor lighting and outdoor site lighting needs.  All of this changed, however, when engineers figured out how to make white light using LED lamps.

While there technically is no such thing as a “white LED”, white light can nonetheless be produced by LED lights by one of two methods.

The first of these is known as “phosphor conversion.”  A diode that emits blue or near ultraviolet light is coated with phosphor.  When the UV light strikes the coating, it creates white light in a manner similar to that produced by a fluorescent lamp.  Not only is the light output white, it is also characterized by high LPW efficiency and tends to be very bright.                         

The second method LED lamps use to produce white light is known as RGB.  Light from red, blue, and green LED lamps is mixed together in various combinations in much the same fashion as the natural light spectrum combines to form white light.  This method of white light production offers the advantage of “fine tuning” the light toward one or more primary colors.  It is highly useful in decorative and display lighting for commercial and retail interiors.  Surprisingly as well, it also adds a measure of safety to street and roadway lighting.  (See our Article on LED Street Lighting to learn why).

Objections Contractors Frequently Hear

If you have worked for any length of time in commercial lighting design or electrical contracting, you already know about the many benefits of led lighting and how it stands poised to possibly change the world in the very near future.  Unfortunately, public awareness of the capabilities of these lights…even among many well-known luminaire manufacturers…has yet to completely catch up with new developments and the opportunities for change that LED lighting offers.

Several misconceptions about solid state lights need to be cleared up any time you consider proposing them to a client.  The most damaging of these ideas is that LED lighting generates too much heat to be efficient in high-end or site lighting applications.  This misconception actually arose from failed attempts to retrofit LED lamps to traditional fixture housings.  Because filament-based and gas-based lighting technology is so vastly different from solid state lighting technology, thermal management problems always arise when people attempt to shave costs off front-end purchases with hybridized engineering.

However, led lighting fixtures specifically designed for solid state lamps and light bars perform exceptionally well in the arena of thermal management, which is one of the many reasons that commercial LEDs last for up to 100,000 hours.

Another misconception that many of your clients may have is that LED lighting simply isn’t as bright as HID lighting and is therefore inappropriate for illuminating areas such as parking garages, streets, roadways, outdoor landscapes, buildings, and security perimeters.  Again, this is a perception based on stereotype, not on fact.  While it is true that LEDs have been heavily utilized in the past for special effects, display lighting, and accent lighting for mood, theme, and effect, new phosphor conversion technology now makes it possible for LEDs to rival even the most powerful HID fixtures with less energy consumption and longer lamp life.  For clients looking to recession proof their businesses in uncertain times, the ability to cut power costs and redirect funding normally set aside for maintenance and replacements can only make your proposal look more attractive at the end of the day.

The following chart represents the current facts about LED technology and the competitive advantages it offers over filament and gas-based luminaires.

The most important thing to point to on this chart is the 80% savings on power cost that certain LED lighting fixtures deliver to clients on a budget.  This represents a revenue retention that pays for the equipment as savings accumulate over time. 

MORE BENEFITS OF LED LIGHTING

The benefits of solid-state lighting are too voluminous to discuss with any amount of detail in a single article.  Briefly summarized, this new technology represents an energy saving solution to mounting concerns about power consumption.   They are also dimmable and compatible with lighting control systems, making them even more energy efficient upon command.  Diodes are environmentally friendly as well because they contain no toxic gas, such as mercury, and they are consequently safer and less expensive to dispose of when they finally do fade out.   Any numbers of color temperatures are now available for both indoor and outdoor decorative and architectural lighting.

ASK AN EXPERT FOR COMPLIMENTARY HELP DEVELOPING YOUR PROPOSAL
Knowledge is only power when it is based on reality, not speculation or hearsay.  RLLD Commercial Lighting experts know the facts about LED and will share them freely with all clients and serious inquirers.  Detailed information can always be obtained by calling an RLLD Commercial Lighting expert for free technical documentation on any type of LED lighting fixture or lamp you might be considering as a line item to your proposal.