Lighting is an essential component for any business. There are several options to produce that light: fluorescent, incandescent, mercury vapour, and light-emitting diodes (LED). Deciding what is right for your business is a decision you don’t want to dwell on forever. Bottom line, LED is the best choice for eco-friendly versatility that saves you money in the long run.
Cost Savings
If you are only looking at the initial cost of purchasing LEDs, you may be confused. Yes, LED purchase prices are higher than the other options, but just like when weighing electricity plans, you have to think about the long-term benefits as well.
Maintenance
The average lifespan of an LED light bulb is 50,000 hours. Depending on how it is used, that could be anywhere from eight to 12 years of use. Typical incandescents are rated for 1,000 to 2,000 hours, and fluorescents are around 15,000 to 20,000 hours. This means, with LEDs, you are changing light bulbs less frequently. Even when they start to fail, instead of going out completely like an incandescent or flickering like a fluorescent, they start to dim. So you could stretch an extra year or two out of your bulbs if you are fine with the lower quality light. You save money by purchasing fewer bulbs. You also won’t have to pay someone to change out hundreds, if not thousands, of lightbulbs all over your building, year after year.
Energy Efficient
Depending on the other options being considered, LED lighting can be anywhere from 50% to 80 % more efficient in energy usage. One of the features of LED bulbs is that they do not heat up. This indicates that the electricity is being used almost solely for producing light, unlike nearly every other alternative out there. Replacing your building’s light sources with LEDs will have an immediate effect on your next power bill.
Eco-Friendly Considerations
Many businesses are looking for ways to “go green” even in the smallest ways. Showing consideration for the environmental impacts of your business is good for your public image, attracting the growing consumer base that is concerned with this sort of thing and helping you be a proactive citizen of this world. Since they are not replaced as often, LEDs do not contribute tremendously to waste in landfills. Additionally, LEDs are not made with hazardous chemicals, like mercury vapour bulbs, that need to be properly disposed of so as not to damage the environment. Finally, they are not producing the same amount of CO2 as other lighting sources because of their energy efficiency.
Lighting Versatility
There are a few features of LED lights that give them the flexibility of use that you don’t see out of the other choices available.
Directionality
By nature of their design, LEDs only send light out at 180 degrees. This means all light produced by the LED bulb can be pointed and used to illuminate an area or object of focus. Other lighting sources are omnidirectional (360 degrees) and require reflective surfaces to redirect the light.
Large and Small Scale Use
The diodes are quite small, meaning they can be used for something as little as an indicator light. Bunched together, however, they can be used to light your office, conference room, or even an auditorium.
Heat and Cold Resistant
LEDs have a temperature tolerance that ranges from 40 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius. This makes them perfect for a walk-in freezer but also to light a parking lot or illuminate an outdoor sign.
With so few downsides and all these benefits to be had, LED lighting is the clear choice for all your building’s illumination needs.
