LED Lighting: What’s the Full Story?

You may have heard the concept of LED lighting being bandied about a bit recently, but without a bit more information, you could be sceptical about whether or not it will actually benefit those who adopt it.

To get to the bottom of things, it is necessary to look at the advantages and disadvantages of LED lighting, assessing where the strengths of this technology lie and dispelling any myths that might cloud your judgement.

MHA Lighting offers efficient and bespoke LED lighting solutions for professional use, but based on the facts, should you consider making an investment?

Energy Efficiency.
The main reason that most people choose to use LED lighting is the significant increases in energy efficiency that are made available by this technology.

On average, an LED light will consume about a fifth of the energy used by alternative solutions, such as filament-based bulbs or even the eco-friendly halogen lamps that you may already be using.

So by using up to 80% less energy, LED lighting can help to reduce the expense of illuminating a home or a business.

When you consider that about a quarter of the average electricity bill can be attributed to lighting usage, it becomes clear that major savings can be made.

Durability.
The lifespan of a filament bulb is notoriously inconsistent and generally quite short, with even modern energy saving bulbs still suffering from less than stellar performance in the long term.

However, LED lights last an average of about 100,000 hours during general use, which would give you about 30 years’ worth of solid performance when powered on for 8 hours every single day.

In addition, the fact that an LED light will not suffer from degraded performance during this time will help to convince sceptics that this is a sustainable approach that cannot be bested using other currently available technologies.

What gives LED lighting even more longevity is its construction; since they are built to be compact and solid, they are much hardier than fragile bulbs, as well as being considerably safer. You need not worry about the use of hazardous substances in LED lighting, since mercury is absent and so disposal or recycling is easier and safer.

Use.
The nature of LEDs means that they generate less heat pollution when in use, unlike inefficient traditional solutions.

The offshoot of this is that you can actually use them in virtually any situation, since they operate at a low temperature and can be touched without scalding the skin.

While LEDs are able to work well in a diverse number of scenarios, they will be most commonly seen as replacements for down lighting. In addition, since the LEDs require as little as 12 volts to operate, they can be combined happily with sustainable generation such as solar or wind power.

Cost.
Since LED lighting is still a relatively niche product, it will be more expensive to invest in at the offset, which is unavoidable with early adoption.

However, the cost of installation can easily be recovered thanks to the significant drop in the amount you will be paying to the energy companies. With energy efficiency regulations becoming increasingly strict, integrating LED lighting into new builds is very attractive.