Top 10 Things You Should Know About LEDs

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LEDs provide vivid illumination for signs without the “missing” letters or words that happen with conventional light sources.

Top 10 Things You Should Know About LEDs

If you don’t know a Kelvin from a lumen, it’s time to learn about the hottest trend in lighting.

The journey with light-emitting diode (LED) technology dates back to 1962, when GE Lighting, Fairfi eld, CT, scientists invented the fi rst visible LED. Over the past decade, energy-effi cient LED technology has become increasingly common in a variety of applications, such as signage, architectural lighting, display cases, parking-lot lighting, and accent and ambient lighting. As lighting moves into the digital era, energy-conscious architects, facility managers, and building owners are turning to LEDs as their single lighting source. Industry analysts generally forecast that, by 2020, 50% to 80% of all lighting products sold will be LED. If you aren’t on board with LEDs yet, here are the basics about a technology that is here to stay.

1. What is LED technology? When people hear LED, they might fi rst think of televisions. The same technology used in the latest TVs has helped GE Lighting create energysaving lighting solutions for years. This LED technology, also known as solid-state lighting, starts with a tiny chip comprising layers of semiconducting material, where the movement of electrons is converted into light that is emitted from the small light source. In fact, some small chips can emit enough light to illuminate an entire room. Also, LED lamps have heat sinks to release the heat, maintaining optimal LED functionality and keeping the bulb cool to the touch.

2. Is it true that LEDs have a longer life than

traditional incandescent light sources?

Yes, by comparison, LED solutions can enable energy savings as much as 75%, compared with traditional incandescent light sources, while lasting 25 to 50 times longer. The result is drastically reduced energy and maintenance costs.

3. What can we expect with energy effi cien

cy and life-cycle payback?

Energy Star-qualifi ed LED lighting meets strict effi ciency, quality, and lifetime criteria. These select products can help property owners lower energy costs and reduce maintenance costs due to the longer lifespan. Here are some important statistics to keep in mind as you decide whether

or not to choose an Energy Star-qualifi ed LED system: • It uses about 75% less energy than the lamp it is replacing. • It lasts at least 15 times longer than an incandescent bulb. • The color quality is as good as or better than fl uorescent lighting. • It turns on instantly. There’s no warm-up time. • Although the upfront cost is greater, LEDs often pay for themselves within the fi rst few years and can last for 20+ years, based on 3 hours/day of operation. • Energy-Star products come with a warranty.

4. In simple terms, what’s the

difference between watts and lumens? Why does it matter?

The government has introduced new regulations for lighting packages, shifting the focus to lumens instead of watts. • A lumen is a measure of a bulb’s light output. A higher lumen number results in a brighter bulb. • Wattage is a measure of the electrical energy used by the bulb to produce the light.

Lumens determine whether a bulb will be bright enough to meet the needs of a particular application. More lumens/watt (LPW) means you are getting more light for each watt used.

5. What can I expect with LEDs

when it comes to color rendering and beam uniformity?

When it comes to color, light is classifi ed in two ways: color temperature in units of degrees Kelvin (K), and color rending index (CRI). The correlated color temperature (CCT) helps determine the warmth or coolness of a light.

The CRI is defi ned as being the measure of color fi delity of objects illuminated by a light source. A perfect CRI is 100. Examples of nearly perfect CRI are natural daylight with a high CCT (e.g., 5,000 to 6,000 K), sometimes called cool white, and incandescent or halogen light with a low CCT (e.g., 2,700 to 3,000 K), sometimes called warm white.

Even though daylight and incandescent light have high CRIs, colors can look very different when illuminated by those two sources, whose color temperatures are so different. High CCT light (cool white) has stronger blues, while low CCT light (warm white) has richer reds. You might prefer the lower CCT, or a warmer white, for indoor ambience to enhance skin tones, fabrics, and furniture, but higher CCT for lighting outdoor spaces.

Once your eye has adapted to the light source, colors will be perceived accurately if the CRI is high, regardless of CCT. However, if CRI is

LED cove lighting adds warm ambiance to a conference room.

Luminaires featuring LEDs provide safety and visibility in a retail parking lot.

low, some colors in the light are either defi cient or too strong, so those colors will be perceived differently, regardless of CCT.

To get the light you want, fi rst determine whether you prefer a warm white or a cool white and select the desired CCT for your indoor or outdoor application. Then choose the highest available CRI so that colors will be rendered accurately. Energy-Star LED lamp products have a minimum CRI requirement similar to the color of fl uorescent and compact-fl uorescent lamps: at least 80 for CCT between 2,700 K and 4,000 K. However, some LED products now have CRIs of more than 90, which is considerably better than fl uorescent or CFL color quality and similar to incandescent or halogen color.

The same goes for light-beam uniformity. Because LEDs can use mirrors inside the fi xtures to precisely direct the light beams, they can provide better uniformity than high-pressure sodium, halogen, or incandescent lamps. LEDs also have more-defi ned cutoffs a and less glare and light pollution a than other technologies. t

6. 6 What does an L70 life

rating mean? Why does it r matter? m

A traditional incandescent lamp A will suddenly burn out. But an w LED will slowly lose brightness toward the end of its multi-year t life. The L70 rating is the amount of time it will take for the LED o to produce only 70% of its initial t lumen output. A long L70 life means the LED will stay bright longer. The L70 life is based on testing the LED product for 6,000 t hours, and then extending the h trend of the light output to the t 70% level.

7. What types of testing do

LEDs typically undergo? L

It depends on the manufacturer. All of GE’s products are thoroughA ly tested at in-house and independent labs, analyzing the bulbs’ d performance in various temperap ture and humidity environments. t For example, all new LED designs must undergo high-temperature testing at 140 F for at least 10% t of the bulb’s rated life to help o validate performance. That’s v 5,000 hours (or seven months) of 5 continuous testing under extreme c temperatures for a product with a rated life of 50,000 hours.

The company also tests the various subsystems. The electronics, LED components, and all critical materials that go into LED lights and systems are subjected to similar stressors. It’s all about fi nding the weakest links, identifying and stressing them to make sure the overall LED lights will perform reliably for years.

8. How effective is LED lighting at reducing

greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)?

Because of their high effi ciency, an investment in LED lighting is one of the most cost-effective

ways for businesses and commercial-building owners to curb GHG emissions and save money on energy. According to a 2011 McKinsey report, replacing ineffi cient lighting with LED lighting is “economically more attractive than any other means of CO 2 abatement.”

9. Is LED considered compliant

with restriction of hazardous substance (RoHS)?

Unlike technologies such as fl uorescent and metal halide, LEDs contain no mercury or other heavy metals. Therefore they are RoHScompliant.

10. Where can I install LEDs? Anywhere. Whether you’re looking for directional, decorative, or general lighting needs, there’s a place for LEDs. We see possibilities for LEDs in every lighting application. We now have LED lamps that fi t into almost all applications and use a standard Edison base. Many of today’s LEDs are dimmable.

One of the latest groundbreaking

A recessed ceiling fi xture with warm-edge LED technology provides many years of light with virtually no maintenance.

applications replaces traditional fl uorescent ceiling fi xtures with recessed LED troffers. These LED luminaires, which add sophisticated design elements to the once obtrusive fl uorescent tubes, emit a crisp, uniform light and reduce maintenance and energy expenses. The sleek

fl at-panel fi xtures recess into a ceiling and are easily installed c with existing electrical systems. w

In the foreseeable future, LEDs will be the most common form of lighting for nearly every kind of application. The e technology has come a long t way from the weak, blue light w typical of the earliest examples. t As it continues to improve, most A people will prefer LED light to p energy-hogging incandescents e and mercury-containing a fl uorescent lamps. Now that you know the ABCs of LEDs, you may k well be at the forefront of that w change.c

Linda Pastor is global product manager for LED replacement lamps at GE Lighting, Fairfi eld, CT, overseeing product evolutions of high-pressuresodium, incandescent, and LED lighting.

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May be covered by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,244,821; 6,589,016; 6,817,835; 6,939,108; 7,252,478; 7,284,960; D587,799; D607,988, D612,476; D614,757, and other patents pending. ©2012 Delta T Corporation dba the Big Ass Fan Company. All rights reserved. An ISO 9001:2008 certifi ed company