Benefits of LED: 10 reasons why LED lighting is on the rise

The LED lighting market was estimated to have grown by 50% between 2010 and 2011 according to a recent report by the Clean Revolution, which estimates that the industry will be worth more than $16 billion by the year 2014.

LED Car Park lighting on display in Sheffield

And if the recent showing at the LuxLive exhibition was anything to go by (read our account from the show back in November here), LED lighting is quickly becoming the most talked about new technology in the market.

Each lighting installation may be different, but here we explain why LEDs are superior in many ways to more traditional lighting solutions, and just why the LED lighting industry is one of the few bucking the current economic trend and growing year on year.

Efficiency

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, and is a technology that is said to date back as far as the 1920s, with the Russian Oleg Losev. LEDs as a light source are far more efficient than incandescent or fluorescent sources, due to their better use of power. The total power output of a light does not just include the visible light emitted, but also takes into account factors such as the amount of base power that is converted into excess heat. When it comes to replacing traditional light bulbs in the home for example they are difficult to handle because of the temperature - an example of how excess heat is to the detriment of the user. Now imagine that on an industrial scale and already one benefit of LED becomes clear. LED in fact operates best in cooler temperatures, and lighting manufacturers often design fittings with as minimal heat loss as possible in mind. LED lights are often better positioned than traditional alternatives also, and this is due to the fact that it is a directional light source, so minimal light pollution is caused by using LEDs and the targeted area receives the maximum amount of light. More on this in the environment section below.

Longevity

Hotels are just one of the industries utilising LED lighting

The long lifespan of LED lighting is down to its robust nature, as a solid-state light source the output of its light will degrade over time like any other, however with LEDs that amount of time can be as much as 80,000 hours. At this point the power of light emitted from the LED will be at around 75% of its total capacity but will continue at this level for another 20,000 hours before the light needs replacing. That works out as more than eleven years’ worth of light output, or based on an average day running lighting for twelve hours, more than 22 years’ worth. This is assuming that the lighting is installed in optimum conditions whereby factors such as temperature has been taken into account. This longevity also means the frequency in which LED lighting need be replaced is dramatically reduced when compared to CFL or HPS lighting, making further savings for the user on maintenance bills. Read more below on the savings LED can make.

Durability

Despite their compact size, LEDs are made to a high specification and good quality products are made to last. As well as their aforementioned longevity, LED lights are also durable with no filaments to burn out or overheat. High quality designs, particularly that of a UK manufacturer such as Gemma Lighting, make their fittings to a high specification that stands up to heavy scrutiny, and offer products with protection ratings of IP66, making them dust proof and resistant to heavy weather such as high winds and heavy downpours. In circumstances where lights are on a tall column, such as LED Street Lighting for example, the problem of vandalism regarding the actual light fitting may not seem such an issue. However for pathways and ceiling tiles this could play a part in a company’s decisions not to invest in a new raft of lighting solutions. But with the high standards of production LED lighting is actually quite safe from such hooliganism, and users can feel quite safe about installing LED lighting solutions. Due to all these factors combined, the maintenance om/index.html UK LED Lighting Manufacturer costs usually set by to replace faulty or flickering bulbs and repair or replace vandalised lights can be a thing of the past for lighting users switching to LED. Reductions in the tens of thousands of pounds have been achieved by those who have already done just that, and the rewards pay off from day one of the new installation.

Eco-friendly

LED lighting has drastically improved
this car park in Portsmouth

As well as being kind to the bank balances of users, LED lighting is far more environmentally friendly than traditional lighting setups. As mentioned already in this blog, LED lights emit less wasted heat energy and therefore reduce light pollution significantly when compared to other lighting choices. Take LED Street Lighting for example, where bright white light is directed in the appropriate angle enabling less light to overspill into neighbouring areas, particularly useful in this application as nearby residents do not suffer from intrusive light glare. Those who have made the switch to LED lighting have also seen dramatic reduction in their carbon emissions, saving tonnes of carbon waste every year. This, in fact, is the main driver for some making the change to LED, as new directives and policies are drawn up in line with national and global environmental policies. With no mercury involved in LEDs, as explained below, the disposal of LED lighting is also better on the environment.

Safety

The volatile nature of elements such as mercury can mean disposing of old lighting is a major problem, particularly for business users. Shedding several units of large, outdated lighting fittings is time-consuming and a poor use of funds for many companies already feeling the strain in current economic times. Disposals such as this must be done though if previous lighting contains high levels of mercury or lead, as they can be harmful if they are not dealt with correctly at the end of their life span. LEDs are far safer and more environmentally friendly as they contain no mercury and increasingly small amounts of lead. They can be disposed of and recycled more quickly and easily, but with their longevity you won’t have to worry about that for many years after installation.

Power

This Portsmouth street was vastly improved
in an LED Street Lighting council-backed trial

It is a myth attached to LED lighting that all these benefits surrounding lower carbon emissions and cheaper running costs must mean a weaker light. Many homeowners will be familiar with the patience required to wait for a domestic energy saving light bulb to power up to full brightness for example. However this is not true of LEDs - as well as an instant strike-up time, more on this below, they in fact have a very high lumen output, which means their power is equal to, and often greater than, similar lighting solutions available. The amount of lumens per watt on LEDs are also increasing, with some industry big-hitters claiming to have topped 250 l/w in the labs at the recent LuxLive exhibition. This was previously thought to be an area of weakness for the LED but progress in production and software design has meant this is no longer the case with high-end products on the market today.

Adaptable

LED is probably best known for televisions and mobile device backlighting. But with the increased 

specifications now available LEDs are being used in a variety of ways by a variety of people. You can find LED lighting in street lights, car parks and pathways, as well as in warehouses, cold stores and offices. Hospitals, universities, housing developments, police stations, supermarkets, restaurants – they are all seeing the benefits of LED. Available in a range of different fixtures and fittings, LED lighting now comes in all shapes and sizes and is ready for almost any application. Some weird and wacky ideas are being dreamt up too, but these shouldn't detract from what LED lighting is really about, a great way of keeping costs down and reducing the impact on the environment. Gemma Lighting offers high uniformity across many of its ranges, making the switch to LED as simple as possible.

Improved clarity

LED Street lighting can be found in Egypt,
the Falkland Islands and shown here in Dubai

As well as a high lumen output LED lighting also provides excellent colour rendering, making it ideal for instances where colour definition is crucial, such as shop windows, stalls and supermarkets. Hotels and restaurants can also benefit from this characteristic when attempting to set a certain mood in a particular room. The same is also true of security requirements, as the visual acuity of LED lighting is excellent, improving the clarity of pictures from CCTV cameras, again a perfect application of LED in areas such as warehouses or exterior storage facilities needing LED Flood Lighting.

Instant

Unlike the common energy saving light bulbs found across many homes today, as mentioned beforehand, LEDs do not take any time to get going. In fact that is a literal statement; LEDs have an instant strike up time of 100 nanoseconds. As well as adding to their energy efficiency this also means LEDs are excellent contributing partners to motion sensor technology – they will light as soon as movement is detected, and switch off as soon as that movement ceases. This reduces the effect that some current security systems are suffering from, whereby activation at the slightest movement becomes part of everyday life to home owners, defeating the object of having them as warning systems against crimes such as burglary. LEDs are making homes and business premises alike more secure.

Aesthetically pleasing

LED Flood lighting was chosen in the
re-design of the River Hull tidal barrier

An increasing amount of LED control technology is being produced to complement LED lighting, and that includes dimmable switches. This appeals further to those wishing to create a mood, as previously mentioned, or those with particular requirements to the level of lighting in any given room. Adding to their adaptability, this feature also shows the design benefits LED lighting can bring. LEDs are being used more and more for aesthetic measures as well as cost-cutting projects, and companies in the broadcasting and marine industries are among those putting this to good use. The more powerful, clear bright white light of LEDs is often the ideal companion to buildings of a more modern design, and with its durability and reliability LEDs are less likely to cause eye-sores and irregularities such as faulty bulbs or dim lit corridors.

So there we are - ten reasons why LED lighting is quickly becoming the norm across a range of applications. With the word spreading across the globe, and demand for high quality LED lighting products on the increase, the future is certainly bright for the world of LED lighting.

What are your thoughts on LEDs when compared to other lighting options? Let us know via the comments box below.

Why more and more restaurants are eating up LED lighting

Of all the regular clients using LED lighting solutions, restaurant and cafe owners are probably not top of any prolificacy lists.

They do, however, have extensive overhead costs to consider like everyone else when balancing the books of their business, and their energy bills are primary among those concerns.

Restaurant owners have enough to deal with
without thinking about  rising energy costs

As well as powering kitchen equipment such as cookers and storage facilities, lighting and computing requirements make restaurants one of the biggest user groups of electricity across the world. In the United States for example the annual energy bill for the commercial food service sector is estimated at $10bn, according to environmental protection agency Energy Star.

To drive down their running costs, and also reduce their carbon impact on the environment, several chains and sites are making the change to LED lighting – but are they doing it the right way?

The transfer to more energy efficient LEDs is an easy decision to make. With better power to output ratios, LEDs are far more energy efficient solutions in comparison with fluorescent or sodium light fittings that are more commonly found in restaurants. As well as reducing energy costs, the longevity and durability of LEDs also means a cut in the cost of repairing and replacing lighting, and installations of LED lighting, both interior and exterior, have seen many reduce their carbon emissions year upon year.

So what can go wrong? Well LEDs are becoming increasingly adaptable, their ability to replace traditional lighting setups means they can be found in more and more locations in and around homes and businesses today. Their use has stretched to LED lamps also, which boast all the benefits of regular LED lighting fittings with the convenience of coming in a small package. However these come at a significantly higher cost than market alternatives, and do not have the lifespan of their larger cousins.

High quality LED lighting specialists manufacture their own LED product ranges in order to maximise the benefits that LED lighting can bring to the user, installing and testing their products in optimum conditions for maximum capacity.

Lighting is a key consideration for
restaurants looking to create the right mood

LED ceiling tiles, street lights and bollard lights are all available as complete packages, and installation of these fittings can mean bigger savings over longer periods for users. Take an average restaurant with car parking for example; the owners could replace the lamps in their street lights, interior lights in the dining area, and lights in the kitchen and offices with LEDs. But to maximise their savings, they could replace all of these with brand new, vandalism and weather-proof, environmentally friendly LED light installations.

It isn’t just about cost reduction with LEDs either. Every successful restaurant has a theme and a mood it creates for its customers, who will return time and again to experience that unique feel. Several factors go into making this possible, and lighting can underpin all of these attributes. An elaborate design layout with bespoke colour schemes can be rendered useless if adequate lighting fails to sufficiently bring out the tones of those colours. The colour rendering of LED lighting is excellent, and the strength of its bright white light is more aesthetically pleasing than the pale yellow hue that can be emitted by older lighting systems, particularly as their lifespan diminishes.

This technical superiority also stretches to external uses, as LED lighting improves the picture clarity on CCTV pictures, meaning that your restaurant is more secure and ensuring that should anyone cause your business any damage you won’t face the frustration of seeing them walk away from punishment due to insufficient proof – a common problem for CCTV systems let down by sub-standard lighting (see our previous blog here for more on this).

Just as important as protecting your business itself can be protecting the name and brand of your restaurant. A flickering lamp over the bar area or seating in a dark corner of the room lessens the appeal to diners, and reflects badly on the professionalism of your establishment. Reliable and low maintenance LED lighting do not suffer from these problems, and with increasing developments in control technologies and dimmer switches, the levels of customisation available for LED lighting are becoming increasingly more effective.

Some of the biggest names in the restaurant industry have switched to LED in recent times, the likes of McDonalds, Nandos and Cafe Nero to name but a few. When LED lighting becomes the norm for all restaurants, do you want your restaurant to be the one left behind, and more importantly – can you afford it to be?

Leave us your comments in the box below.

Why LED lighting is key to effective CCTV systems

On November 15th local communities in the UK will have a chance to change the way their area is policed with the first ever Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Highlighted by a proactive television campaign, the vote will see 41 new positions created whereby new ‘PCCs’ will oversee police budgets, prioritise crime prevention and have the power to hire and fire chief constables.

‘Jephson Gardens CCTV’

by lydia_shiningbrightly

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence 2.0 at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lydiashiningbrightly/7247538048

Before elections begin next month, voters are being asked which crimes they want to see cracked down on most, choosing between the likes of violent crime, anti-social behaviour and hate crimes.

In a current poll taking place on the Channel 4 website, the biggest change most voters want to see is an improved presence and increased visibility of ‘policing on the beat’. But with a burglary estimated to occur every 40 seconds in the UK, more than half of them occurring at night, further solutions are required to keep homes and businesses safe from thieves.

Ever since the first installation at a London train station in 1961, Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV as it is better known, has become a mainstay of crime prevention through the country. By 1996 all but one of England’s major cities had CCTV systems installed in their city centres, and more than three quarters of the Government’s total crime prevention budget was spent on CCTV.

But despite being a routine piece of security equipment today, the quality and ability of CCTV systems to prevent crime and bring criminals to justice varies. One factor that can work against CCTV cameras is poor visibility, even though some high-end systems may have infa-red or night vision capabilities, the image of a suspect that is produced can fail to stand up to scrutiny in a court of law and lead to vandals and thieves escaping punishment.

One such incident occurred in Newhaven, Sussex whereby three vandals that had caused over £1,000 worth of damage to a party store had been caught on CCTV, but the glare from nearby fluorescent street lights meant Sussex Police were unable to identify the trio.

CCTV manager at the force, Chief Inspector Roger Fox, told The Argus: “CCTV in Sussex is an effective tool for tackling crime and anti social behaviour. There are many factors that can impact on the effectiveness of CCTV, and the proximity of street lighting can be both a positive and negative feature.”

Many modern day CCTV system providers are realising these downfalls, and more emphasis has been placed in recent years on better lighting coverage to supplement the cameras, with many security firms turning to LED lighting for the solution.

Spitfire 24 LED Flood Lights

LEDs provide bright white light comparable to day light, therefore providing the ideal visual perception and picture balance to achieve clear images. The ability to customise the angle of the LEDs within the light also mean they can be ideally manufactured to suit specific areas in need of security - so warehouses, car parks and interiors can all be suitably covered.

Evolution Security, who have been working with Portsmouth-based LED lighting manufacturer Gemma Lighting LTD, believe LED lighting to be the ideal partner to CCTV systems, and have utilised the new technology for the past three years.

A spokesman from Evolution Security said: “Gemma Lighting’s high quality products provide the perfect lighting for our CCTV systems and we recommend their LED flood lights for areas under surveillance.”

As well as higher quality images provided by the improved lighting, the security firm also benefited from lower maintenance costs, saved money on energy bills and reduced carbon emissions by installing LED lighting.

With more and more CCTV firms turning to LED flood lights as their lighting solution, and with PCC elections just around the corner, there’s no time like the present for businesses to secure their premises - with the possibility that burglary may not necessarily be the highest priority under the area’s new Commissioner.

What do you make of the PCC elections? Give us your thoughts by commenting below.