Here are the top-15 advantages of light emitting diode (LED) lighting technology. They are listed sequentially based on their importance, starting with the most important item:
1. LED Light Lifespan:
Easily the most significant advantage of LEDs when compared to traditional lighting solutions is the long lifespan. The average LED lasts 50,000 operating hours to 100,000 operating hours or more. That is 2-4 times as long as most fluorescent, metal halide, and even sodium vapor lights. It is more than 40 times as long as the average incandescent bulb.
Less frequent replacement means two big things: lower maintenance costs in terms of labor and lower costs for replacement parts (because the bulbs simply do not fail for a long time).
2. LED Energy Efficiency:
LEDs generally consume very low amounts of power. The statistics to look for when comparing the energy efficiency of different lighting solutions are called by one of two terms: luminous efficacy or useful lumens. These two items essentially describe the amount of light emitted per unit of power (watts) consumed by the bulb. In our experience most LED lighting retrofit projects result in a 60-75% improvement in the overall energy efficiency of the facility’s lighting. Depending on the existing lights and the particular LEDs installed, the savings could be more than 90%. You can read a few case studies here.
For a few comparisons between LEDs and the rest of the lighting technologies out there, read the following links:
- LED vs CFL (compact fluorescent lights)
- LED vs Fluorescent Lights
- LED vs HID (high intensity discharge lights; e.g. metal halide)
- LED vs HPS (high pressure sodium lights)
- LED vs Incandescent Lights
- LED vs LPS (low pressure sodium lights)
