I ran into an old friend and client in the grocery store the other day, we exchanged greetings caught up on on past experiences missed. Then we said our goodbyes.
At the till I caught up with him again, on the counter in front of me I saw a dozen incandescent bulbs ranging from 40W to 100W. Being the LED evangelist I am I started to tell him how much energy he would save and the benefits of using LED lights.
The cashier jumped into the conversation and agreed.
I promised to write an article about them here.
The basics LED (light emitting diode):The information here is from Wikipedia.
Led light is a form of electroluminescence. First discovered in 1907. The LED has been seen in various electronics since 1962. Until a few years led’s were very expensive to produce and in limited colors.
New technologies have developed so that Leds are available in many different wavelengths and colors.
The selling price has dropped dramatically over the years making leds a viable and better solution for all types of lighting. You find them used as lights for cars, stop lights , interior lights and thousand of other uses.
Why: incandescent lights are only ten percent efficient giving off the other 90 percent as heat.
CFL ‘S (Compact fluorescent)while more efficient than incandescent bulbs are made
with toxic materials and are fragile. They have been known to cause house fires. Do not work well in cold environments.
Led lights do not get hot are more efficient and have no toxic materials and are tough. They last for ever , not quite from 50,000 to 100,000 hours. They also work better in cold environments.
Another advantage you can buy the bulbs in bulk and build your own lights if you are at all technical.
Recently I ordered some UV leds so that I can design and test a UV sterilizer to help take care of a problem with my water.
The finished retrofit light bulbs used to cost as much as $50 dollars each just three years ago. Now you can buy them from IKEA for about 12 bucks each. There are also replacements for tube florescent lights that do not use ballasts to even save more energy. So if you have florescent lights you can replace them as well. Follow the big companies who are making the switch IBM, MICROSOFT, FORD.
If you spend time on ebay you will find a variety of lights available.
I recently bought an 18 WATT 100 led corn light. I am sure that is as bright as a hundred watt bulb. All for 18 watts of power instead of one hundred.
Incandescent bulbs are banned in the European Union. Are they smarter over there?
With lighting making up to 25% of our electricity bill, why haven’t our governments done the same here. I think that old style bulbs are a money maker they waste electricity and and fail at 750 hours. Money made for the electrical grid and bulb makers.
The math? Incandescent bulb cost two bucks last only 750 hours. LED bulb cost 12 bucks lasts 50,000 hours.
Incandescent bulb cost @ over 50000 hours $128. Led 12 bucks. Savings in electricity you figure it out.
18 watts compared to 100 watts over 50000 hours. Answer is shitload of savings no brainer.
Wake up change your bulbs stop supporting them. Find some LED bulbs change them out.
Ban incandescents and cfl’s in your house. My tiny house will have all led lighting, no exceptions.
Take care Rod
the following came from here.
| LED Fluorescent Lighting can save you thousands of dollars per fixture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T-8 LED Tubes are Ideal for Fluorescent replacement and have many advantages over Fluorescent Tubes. LED based light source, are environmentally friendly and a much longer life than Fluorescent Tubes with a minimum of 8 to 10 years compared to 2 year with Fluorescent Tubes. This is based on an average of 4000 hours usage per year or about 11 hours a day @ ≤ 77 °F T-8 LED Tube produces a wonderful pure white light, printed materials appear sharpened, colors brighter and viewing is easier on the eyes than with conventional fluorescent tubes. The T-8 Fluorescent lamp is the most widely used light source in North America, for commercial use. Nearly every large building that you enter has arrays of T-8 fixtures, their ceiling spaces are largely occupied with these. The average standard T-8 fluorescent tube lasts about 20,000 hours if the temperture is less than 77 °F. When the temp goes higher the the life span of the fluorescent tube goes down. Also short on periods less than three hours also shortens the life span of the fluorescent tubes and being mounted so high in the air it is a large expense, to replace them when they fail. Depending on location work and workers will be disrupted during the replacement of the fluorescent tubes and ballasts, lost production is the highest cost for replacing fluorescent tubes and ballasts. This equates to the highest cost saving for using LED T-8 Tubes. LED T-8’s Tubes pay for themselves several times in actual bulb replacement (no more ballast replacement) and labor savings during their lifetimes, the energy savings is substantial, the improved quality of light and the workplace are bonuses.
An LED will operate 100,000 hours before dropping below 75% of their initial lumens output, Fluorescent tubes loose 10% to 20% of their initial lumens output after the initial burn-in period about 7000 hrs. depending on brand. LED’s now provide a 120 degree angle of light dispersion, a recent breakthrough, which means they are less focused and spreads the light similarly to an incandescent bulb. While well dispersed the light is directional which adds 46% more useable Lumens, unlike conventional 360 degree fluorescent tube lighting. Bi-passing you’re Ballast and Starter will save even more energy, 40-50 Watts per fixture or more and improve the workplace without the buzzing and flickering associated with standard fluorescent tubes. A big bonus, no more ballast to replace!
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