January 2019

A LED light bulb or a LED lamp is a kind of electric light that uses a light-emitting diode (LED). Many advantages come with using LED light bulbs as their life span is far longer than that of incandescent lamps. They are also far more efficient than luminescent lamps as, according to LED manufacturers, certainly led lamps emit up to 303 lumens per watt. Currently, available LED bulbs with the most efficiency emit 200-220 lumens per watt. LED has seen such a success so far that it is estimated that the market will grow by 12 times, from 2 billion at the start of 2014 to 25 billion at the end of 2023. To speak of their amazing efficiency, LEDs use only about 10 percent of the energy incandescent lamps use. They don’t need the warm-up time unlike fluorescent lamps, which most LEDs are made to replace.

Before the development of LED technology, there were 3 types of lamps which were used for general white lighting. These were incandescent, fluorescent and metal-halide lamps. Incandescent lights had a very short life span of 1000 hours and produced only up to 17 lumens per watt. They functioned by heating a filament with an electric flow, this allowed them to make a continuous black body spectrum. Fluorescent lamps had a longer life span, up to 14 000 hours, and produce ultraviolet light by releasing a glow discharge through a low-pressure tube of mercury vapor between two electrodes.

The mercury inside of them posed a safety hazard so they have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Metal-halide lamps also suffered from the fact that they were hazards, but were the most efficient lamps of their time. They had a relatively long life span of up to 16 000 hours and had a luminous efficiency of 75-100 lumens per watt. A big downside of these lamps is the fact that they had a 3-7 minute start-up time. They function by releasing an arc between two electrodes surrounded by a plethora of different gases.

Viewed as energy transformers, these were highly inefficient, emitting more energy as waste heat than actual light.

Led lights came as an answer to all of these problems. They are highly energy efficient, pose no hazards, and come as an answer to the problems electrical industry faced. Lighting used to consume 12 percent of electrical energy produced by industrialized countries, there were also problems regarding the discovery of global warming due to the carbon dioxide released by using fossil fuels. This lead to an increased incentive for finding more energy efficient electric lights.

The first low-frequency red LED light was made in the 60s. This breakthrough and existence of high-frequency lead to increased interest in LED technology and the development of white LED used today, which had a white phosphorous coating that helps convert frequencies and gives us the white light they produce. Akasaki, Amano, and Nakamura received the Nobel prize for the blue LED they made. China further boosted the development of LED research and presented their first Christmas tree in 1998. In the 21st century the LED became prevalent in USA and Japan, and soon after them Korea and China in 2004. In 2008 the Energy Star set a standard for efficiency and safety for lamps and started ratting brands based on it. This inspired the increase in product quality in every lamp producing company.

Sentry Equipment Corporation was able to light up the interior and exterior of its grounds with LED lights in 2008. The initial cost was 3 times than it would be with non-LED bulbs, but the cost was returned only 2 years after through electricity saving. On top of all of that, the bulbs will continue to perform in peak efficiency for another 20 years, which only speaks more on the quality and value of LED products. A similar occurrence happened in the Turku Cathedral in Finland, where 710 LEDs at 2 watts were placed and had a positive financial return within half a year, even though the lights work only 48 days a year.

LED lights are, not only very efficient but also have such a wide span of applications. They can be used within homesteads, but have many different functions within different segments of life and daily functions. In some veterinary hospitals in Asia, LED lights are used for incubation of newborn animals. As they function in different frequencies, they are used as lighting within coal mines and on construction sights. There are special LEDs that are mounted on cars for long distance non-disruptive, road-safe lighting. They are also prominent in agriculture. Certain kinds of LEDs are specialized for helping plant growth as naturally as possible, to find out more about this visit this site.

As you can see LED lights have too many upsides not to use at a slightly increased cost. Be responsible towards yourself, others and nature itself and replace your outdated lighting with LED whenever you can.