LEDs are the future, helping you save money through reduced maintenance costs.
Apparently it costs more, but the investment pays off over time through reduced energy consumption and a lifetime of over 50,000 hours. At the same time, it protects the nature!
A LED (light emitting diode) emits light produced by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material. Unlike incandescent bulbs that are heating and therefore are having a low efficiency (only 10% of the energy is converted into light and 90% is lost through heat), LED bulbs have a much higher efficiency (95% of energy is transformed into light and only 5% is lost through heat).
A LED's shade can vary amongst batches of the same type of LEDs, but it is usually hardly visible. Although LEDs have the same color temperature, a slight difference in nuance can be observed. This discrepancy is caused by the small quantity of material used to manufacture LEDs, making any slight difference of material quantity used visible through the light emitted.
LED Lighting Advantages:
Lifetime: The lifetime of LEDs can reach in some cases 100,000 hours. Unlike incandescent lamps (1,000-2,000 hours) and fluorescent sources (8000-15000 hours) LED lighting sources have a significantly longer lifespan.
Efficiency: LED technology converts electric light more efficiently than incandescent bulbs, which lose 90% of energy through heat. LED's efficiency is far superior to incandescent or fluorescent light sources. This is reflected best in low power consumption, saving frequently more than 50% than the sources mentioned above.
Direction of the beam of light: Because LEDs are plain surface mounted, they are emitting light hemispherically, decreasing the amount of unused light. In many applications some of the light is wasted if special optical devices or projectors are not used. LEDs direct light where it is needed while classical lighting sources emit light in all directions.
Color: LEDs do not require filters to emit a certain color. Color is generated by the semiconductor material.
Control: Some LEDs can be controlled more easily by using a dimming switch, providing better control over lighting and color.
Size: small size, which can get down to a few millimeters, and together with directing the light beam enables innovative solutions and compact design. The reason that LED lighting sources have a smaller size is that they do not need special vacuum gas chambers. This feature makes LEDs useful in applications where traditional sources can not be integrated.
Shock and vibration resistance: Compared with traditional lighting sources, that can be damaged easily when subjected to shock and vibration, LEDs are not easily breakable and contain no filament. This enables their use in varied conditions (means of transportation, interior lighting near industrial areas, elevators, escalators, fans etc.). LEDs are also less likely to get damaged during transport.
Operation at low temperature: LED lamps performance is not diminished at low temperatures, as happens in the case of fluorescent lamps. This quality makes LED the ideal candidate for use in refrigerated or cold environments and exterior.
Long on / off cycles: During operation, if incandescent lamps are subject to a large number of on / off cycles, thinned filaments can burn at ignition. The lifetime of LED light sources is not affected by repeated on / off cycles. Thus, LEDs are suitable for applications where the light is triggered by sensors.
Instant ignition: LEDs reach full brightness in a few microseconds, while traditional sources need a longer time and are influenced by temperature. LEDs do not require heating. Fluorescent lamps need about 3 minutes to reach the maximum light emission.
Environmentally friendly: LEDs consume less energy and contain no hazardous materials, unlike flourescent lights that contain mercury. Having a longer lifetime, LED lighting sources will produce less waste, thus protecting the nature.
Quality lighting: LEDs provide a uniform distribution of light on the surface illuminated, and with a focused optical system, produces vivid and well-defined colors.
Wide range of input voltages: LEDs can function on 12V or 24V DC in which case they need a separate power source. LEDs function normally from 85V to 260V AC, providing an additional benefit by not being influenced by voltage fluctuations.