LED COMPARISON
How Do LED Lights Stack Up Against The Old Standards?
LIGHT-EMITTING diode( LED) lighting is a relative newcomer to the lighting industry. Since originally developed around 1960, these devices have come in a slew of colors and types. White LEDs, used primarily for lighting purposes, are a more recent development. Similar to Moore’ s Law, describing the increase in computer processing power, LED lighting has been able to double light output every thirty-six months since 1960 when it was first developed. Even so, businesses and individuals trying to find the right type of lighting to suit their needs often overlook LEDs or simply don’ t understand what benefits they can provide.
The first, and perhaps most striking, difference between LEDs and their primary competitors— incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lamp( CFL) bulbs— is in the effective lifespan of each type of bulb. Traditional incandescent bulbs can be expected to last for around 1,000 hours of use on average. CFL bulbs can be expected to last double that, coming in at around 2,000 hours of use. LED bulbs, however, have an average lifespan of up to 50,000 hours or more. When looking for a simple and cost effective lighting solution, the fact that LEDs last 25 – 50 times longer than the average lifespan of other lighting options is astounding.
The wattage of the electricity used to power lighting systems is another concern. LEDs use fewer watts per bulb by large margins. Watts are a measure of the power used per unit of light generated. In comparison to a 60-watt incandescent bulb, CFLs use 13 – 26 watts to produce the same amount of light. By comparison, LED bulbs only use 6 – 8 watts of electricity to produce that same amount of light. Not only is this beneficial from a cost perspective, but it also helps the environment.
On a yearly basis, the energy and maintenance costs are dramatically reduced with the use of LED bulbs. Based on a comparison of using thirty incandescent bulbs for a year, LEDs are a clear winner, in comparison with the CFL bulbs which contain mercury and do not have the warm color selections of LEDs. At a cost of $ 328.. 59 per year, thirty incandescent bulbs use around 3,285 kilowatt hours( kWh) per year. Compare this with the $ 76.65 that it costs to operate the same number of CFLs, using around 767 kWh. Finally, look at the cost of running
LEDs: $ 32.85, using only 329 kWh per year. The difference is significant enough to be obvious, even at a quick glance.
LEDs are not only a cost effective way to light your property but also an excellent way to help the environment. With improvements coming year after year, making the switch is becoming more and more attractive to many business and property owners. Consider making the switch. The savings on utility bills and maintenance costs will literally pay for the installation and materials.
For more information or to find out what LED lighting could do for your business, contact Canterra at info @ CanterraLighting. com or 480-222-8300.
SPRING 2017
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