LED Basics: Benefits and Options
With energy efficiency at the forefront today, we thought we would explain a bit about LEDs and the benefits of switching to them, along with some ideas of what you can do with them.
Light-emitting diode, or LED, is a type of solid-state lighting that uses a semiconductor to convert electricity into light. This technology allows the bulb itself to remain much cooler and give off less heat, saving energy. LEDs are the size of a fleck of pepper, and a mix of red, green, and blue LEDs is typically used to make white light. Or they are covered with a phosphor material that converts the color of the light. The phosphor is the yellow material you can see on some LED products.
According to the Department of Energy, LEDs for residential use, particularly those with the Energy Star rating, use at least 75 percent less energy, and last 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting. Typical LED bulbs have a life of 30,000 to 50,000 hours, which is exponentially better than the typical 1,000 hours of an incandescent bulb and the 8,000 to 10,000 hours of a compact fluorescent. Overall, widespread use of LEDs could save about 348 TWh (compared to no LED use) of electricity by 2027, for a total savings of more than $30 billion in electricity costs (at today’s prices). This is the equivalent annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants (1,000 megawatts each).
LED is a directional light source sending out light in a specific direction, unlike their incandescent and fluorescent counterparts that emit light and heat in all directions.
There are many uses for LED lighting from retrofitting athletic stadiums to increase player visibility to indoor LED light displays to attract customers eye to increasing safety with outdoor and parking lot lighting. The uses continue to expand. You will find LEDs in refrigerated cases in stores, illuminated power buttons, holiday lights and even light up neckties.
Unusual LED applications include Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO virtual sky panels, wallpaper that emits a soothing glow by Philips, or an LED bathroom faucet that makes the water glow red or blue depending upon temperature.
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