The shift to LED lighting has been a quiet revolution as far as most individuals are concerned.  Few realise that LEDs have virtually replaced conventional tungsten and halogen light bulbs in new developments and retail outlets purely on the basis of energy savings (and therefore cost savings) and there still remains considerable confusion with many people as to their benefits and cost savings in the home.  

The fact is LED lights use around 10% of the power of halogen lamps for the same output. Who doesn't want that kind of saving?  Add to this the fact that most LEDs are guaranteed for several years and the benefits are clear.

Recent statistics show that Lighting accounts for around 15% of an average home's electricity use, so switching to LEDs is a no brainer. if you are still using incandescent light bulbs, switching to energy-efficient LED lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills.

Lumens v Watts

Bulbs and fittings with integral lighting are no longer rated in watts. We all used to know what sort of brightness to expect from a 100W or 60W conventional tungsten bulb but nowadays bulbs are labelled with a Lumen rating as well as wattage and its the Lumens that really count as this is a measure of the actual light output rater than the power used by the bulb. If you shop around you will see that bulbs from some of the better brands of LEDs such as Philips use less than 10% of the electricity of conventional bulbs and this figure keeps getting better. So for an average guide as to how a conventional bulb will rate against and LED you should be looking at a a conversion factor (in terms of watts) of between 8-12. The reason for such a variation is that LEDs are constantly improving so as the newer products come onto the market the average efficiency increases. But whichever LED you choose it will still be significantly cheaper to run.

Lighting Control

In addition to efficient lighting, consider using controls such as timers and dimmers to save electricity.  Timers automatically turn lights off when not in use and dimmers can be used to lower light levels which therefore uses less power. Be sure to select dimmers that are compatible with the LED light bulbs you want to use and make sure that the LEds are themselves dimmable.

If you have outdoor lighting that is left on for a long time, using LEDs and motion sensors in these fixtures can save a lot of energy. LED fitiings are available as flood lights, and have been tested to withstand the rain and snow so they can be used in exposed fixtures.

Of course, the most efficient way to run the lighting in your home is with a whole house lighting control system which will allow you to set scenes for different activities and times of day so that you have just the right amount of light for a particular activity. You can also set these scenes to activate a specific times or when someone enters a room. The best of these systems available in the UK are generally considered to be Lutron or Rako. However, Rako is probably the best option in the UK due to it being manufactured at their base in Kent making it considerably more cost-effective. - Check out our post: Lighting in the Smart Home.

True or False?

Despite the prevalence of LEDs there are still many misconceptions;

Leds are too expensive for domestic use.

FALSE - They are a bit more expensive but even at the current price, before even higher take-up brings costs down, they represent a sound investment if you intend to stay in your property  more than a couple of years.

LEDs can't be dimmed.

FALSE - You just have to  buy dimmable ones and use the right kind of dimmer (although many cheaper dimmers are not up to the job). Lighting control systems in particular are all optimised for LEDs these days.

LEDs are a funny colour, like fluorescents.

FALSE - Although I agree they used to be, and there may still be some cheap products out there that are extremely disappointing but if you stick with the known brands you'll be surprised at the good colour rendition. They're now used universally in art galleries for this very reason coupled with their low heat output.

LEDs aren't bright enough.

FALSE - When they first came out they were pretty dim but now its just the opposite. We always recommend using dimmers with them in order to manage the high output to advantage.  And No it doesn't waste energy using modern dimmers!

LEDs are bad for your health.

FALSE - In fact recent studies in the US have already proven that LEDs can have a beneficial effect on the skin and there's other research being conducted using LED light to accelerate healing.

What's the catch?

So far the Lighting industry has been surprised to find that there doesn't appear to be one!  The LED revolution has been swift and sure and we don't see it slowing down.

So, theres no more to be done?

FALSE - Manufacturers can still do a lot more to develop LEDs so that we have the same variety of beam angles on LED spots as we used to on MR16 halogens but the better manufacturers are already addressing this.  There are obviously many more ways they can be deployed as long as consumer demand is there.  Its just a matter of making sure everyone knows about them.

There are obviously many more questions than this to answer but we'd be happy to hear yours and will respond with an informed opinion and  a solution to any problems you may have encountered: www.lightingbydesign.co.uk/contact

So, what is LED Lighting?

LED stands for light emitting diode. An LED is a semiconductor device, generating light through a process called When you pass an electric current through semiconductor material, it emits visible light. As such, an LED stands in exact contrast to a photovoltaic cell, which is the cell used in solar arrays to convert visible light into electricity.

We’ve known about the technology behind LEDs for years. Contributing to the development of solid-state transistors, LED technology helped to land an astronaut on the moon and enable the creation of portable AM radios!

In the early 60s, a young scientist with GEC developed the first LEDs. Companies first used them as indicator lights for circuit boards, and they became known for their durability and energy savings. Many local authorities used the second generation of LEDs, which became available in the 80s and 90s, as replacements for the traditional incandescent bulb in streetlights. Some people began to experiment with using them as a replacement for fluorescent lights in outdoor signs.

In October 2014, lighting science received one of the greatest acknowledgments possible: The Nobel Prize. That year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics to three scientists—Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura—“for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.” Never before had researchers working so directly in the lighting field been recognized on a world stage for their scientific achievement.

Red and green LEDs had been developed in the 1950s and 1960s using gallium phosphide. What made Akasaki, Amano, and Nakamura’s line of research novel was the idea that blue-light gallium nitride (GaN) was the material needed to make up the diode’s architecture. The breakthrough came in 1986 when Akasaki and Amano created a high-quality GaN crystal. In 1990, Nakamura was also successful in producing a high-quality GaN crystal. The first blue diode was presented in 1992 and even though a relatively young discovery, revolutionized lighting technology. By adding the blue LED, they were able to adopt the standard physics formula, Red, Green & Blue light make White.

Benefits of LED Lighting

ROBUST - This benefit is often overlooked but its one we've consider relevant. Compared to standard incandescent light bulbs which have a fragile tungsten filament, the LED chips are robust and not subject to fracture in the same way.

LONGEVITY - The components of an LED and the way that they generate light significantly extend the lifespan of these bulbs. The LED bulb’s low heat levels, durability, and energy efficiency make it possible for it to outlast other types of bulbs by thousands of hours.

EFFICIENCY - Because of their high lumen output per watt, LEDs are capable of turning up to 90% of their energy into light. This makes them much more efficient than other bulbs, which waste a lot of energy by turning it into heat.

BRIGHTNESS - LEDs are capable of emitting an extremely high level of brightness.   Look at a bulb’s lumen output when you’re making the switch to LEDs or other energy-efficient lighting. Take a look at how LEDs compare to incandescent and CFL bulbs.

VARIABLE COLOURS - LEDs offer a wide range of colours and colour temperatures without the use of gels or filters, which can burn out or fade over time. With LEDs, it is the actual diode (or its phosphorus coating) that is changed to alter the colour of the emitted light, so you can trust that it will stay the same shade until the end of its lifespan.

LOW HEAT OUTPUT - While an incandescent bulb operates by heating its filament to a temperature that produces light, an LED bulb emits electromagnetic energy as light when electrified. By turning energy into light instead of heat (rather than using heat to generate light), LEDs are able to operate at a significantly lower temperature than other types of light bulbs.

What little heat LEDs do generate is dissipated by a special heat sink, which is designed to absorb any heat and disperse it safely away from the diodes. While the actual fixture or base can feel warm to the touch, LEDs themselves don’t emit infrared radiation in their beam, meaning there is no warmth to it. This makes them optimal for use in heat-sensitive areas, such as displaying artwork because they won’t cause fading or other heat damage to paints or dyes.

‍PRO TIP: LEDs run cool, but because of the way they dispel the heat they do generate, some designs should not be kept in enclosed spaces as this will cause the bulb to degrade and shorten its lifespan. Always make sure to check the packaging or product specifications for instructions on where a bulb should or should not be used.

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If you're still unsure, maybe these commercial case histories will change your mind. The benefits transfer readily to the domestic market!

If these interest you, why not contact us to see how we can utilise this type of lighting in your home or workplace?