Energy Saving Light Bulbs

LED lights or Light Emitting Diode lights are solid state lighting units that are made up of a grouping of smaller units, operating using a semiconductor diode that produces an ‘electroluminescence’ effect to create the light. Although LEDs were invented in the 1920s they weren’t really produced in a practical form until the early 1960s. LED spotlights can provide a great alternative to halogen lamps. Higher wattage versions of LED spotlights e.g. 3 watt, can be used for normal area lighting, and even lower wattage (2 watt) can be used for accent lighting. If you haven’t really thought about using Led lights, or know little about them, her are a number of great reasons for using them for your home, business, or even vehicles.

As previously mentioned, these lights don’t use heated filaments, or gas and filament combinations to create light, and unlike incandescent bulbs they don’t produce much heat at all. This gives their application even wider scope, and it means that LED spotlights for instance aren’t likely to damage precious / delicate items and surface they’re placed next to. Also, LEDs don’t contain / give off toxins e.g. mercury, which is good for us and our environment.

Perhaps their greatest and most prominent feature is their ability to save energy and keep doing so over a much longer period than incandescent bulbs. Most of us are used to buying (relative short life cycle) incandescent bulbs which seem cheap to purchase. Although LED lights have a higher purchase price due to the expensive sapphire substrate used in their production, their life cycle is likely to be 50 times longer! If you think of how much it is to purchase them with that in mind, you’ll see that they may actually work out to be cheaper.

LEDs have a much higher efficacy than incandescent bulbs – they produce more light relative to the amount of energy used to produce it – this makes them a highly efficient source of light. For example, because they produce more lumens per watt, a 13 watt LED lamp will produce the same lumen value as a 40 watt incandescent bulb, the implication is that less power is needed to do the same job, thus LEDs are ENERGY SAVING – your electricity bills could be lowered by using them.

Environmentally their energy saving properties also translate to less CO2 being produced to run Led lamps compared with incandescent bulbs. Using the 13 watt LED and 40 watt incandescent example again, the LED lamp could produce one third less CO2. Just think of the reduction in carbon footprints of homes and offices if LED lamps were used to replace other types of bulbs and lamps.

As well as lasting a long time, saving energy, and having a much more positive environmental impact, LED lamps are generally much stronger and more robust than their incandescent counterparts. Even though they’re robust, they can also be made into very small sizes, which can make them ideal for accent lighting applications. LEDs light up more quickly switched on relative to other types of lamps and bulbs, and when they finally reach the end of their useful life they tend to dim gradually rather than instantly breaking. They work particularly well in situations where lights are turned on off frequently – combine this with their high output, long life, minimal maintenance requirements, flexibility and low running costs, and you’ve got something with incredibly positive potential for commercial and domestic settings.

Energy saving bulbs are quickly taking over the light sockets of the world. Whether by personal choice or governmental push, these energy efficient light-producing bulbs will soon provide much of our illumination. There are different ways to conserve energy including compact fluorescent lights and also using solar power. Another way is LED, which stands for light emitting diodes. Using LED-powered energy saving bulbs are a great option because they are durable, efficient, and have a long life.

The first light bulbs were extremely fragile and sometimes burst while in use. Through the years the glass became somewhat stronger but it was still breakable. LED energy saving bulbs are more durable because they are made out of plastic and do not use fragile glass and filaments. And because they are solid, they can withstand bumping and extreme movements. Because of this inherent sturdiness they are able to be used in fixtures that a traditional bulb could not tolerate. Examples include instrument panels and in electronic equipment, which are often jostled but whose small parts are difficult and expensive to repair.

A second reason for switching to LED is because they provide very efficient lighting. LED lights are often clumped together, and LED clusters have had as many as 180 bulbs. If used with diffuser lenses, they can produce a wider beam of light. Studies show that LED energy saving bulbs use one-tenth of the power of a regular incandescent bulb. You could light nine LED bulbs with the same amount of power needed to light one traditional bulb. So depending on your lighting use, it would be possible to light a whole house with LED bulbs that it currently takes to light one room with a traditional bulb. In many US cities, traditional traffic lights are being refitted with LED bulbs and these municipalities expect to see an approximate 80% reduction in electricity costs. As they require less power they are also ideal for remote areas, helping to reduce the number of generators and electric lines.

Another incentive for switching to LED energy saving bulbs is that they have a long life. Because they conserve their energy so well and do not build up heat, they ultimately last longer. Some studies conducted show that you could burn a LED bulb for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and it would take about seven years to burn out. They are even longer lasting than compact fluorescent lighting, lasting up to ten times longer.

Electroluminescence was discovered in 1907 by the British experimenter H. J. Round of Marconi Labs, using a crystal of silicon carbide and a cat’s-whisker detector.  Russian Oleg Vladimirovich Losev independently reported on the creation of a LED in 1927. His research was distributed in Russian, German and British scientific journals, but no practical use was made of the discovery until later in the century.

LEDS were first used commercially as replacements for neon and incandescent lamps and for seven-segment displays. They replaced these lamps first in laboratory equipment and electronic testing equipment, then later they replaced lighting in such appliances as Radio’s T.Vs, calculators, telephones and watches. Early in their usage these lights were only bright enough for use as indicators, as the light output was so small it could not illuminate a large area.

Later though developments were made as other colours became readily available and they too appeared in similar appliances and equipment.  Eventually, as the LED materials technology became more technologically developed, the light output was increased, while maintaining the efficiency and the reliability to a safe and acceptable level.  The invention and development of the high power white light LED lead to use for illumination.