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LED (Light
Emitting Diode) has been in the market as an alternative energy
source for quite some time now, and its huge potential in
reducing costs in the long run has only been recognised in
recent years. With technological advancement, Governments and
various industries such as advertising and automobile have
gradually switched to ustilising LED. We are confident that in
the near future, LED will replace Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL)
as the mainstream lighting source.
ADVANTAGES /
BENEFITS / CHARACTERISTICS OF LED
1.
Environmental
Friendly (No RF interference):
LED has no hazardous
content such as Mercury, which if leaked from CFL is harmful.
LED lamps emit no
Infrared or Ultraviolet radiation which is harmful to human.
LED typically is RoHS
compliant, meaning that they have no or at most negligible
amounts of hazardous substances within the scope of that
compliance (Lead, Cadmium, mercury
).
2.
Long Lasting:
If left on
continuously, LED has an estimated rated lifespan of at least
50,000 hours (about 5 years).
If left on for about
12 hours a day, LED has an estimated rated lifespan of about
100,000 hours (about 10 years).
It is more
long-lasting as compared to the CFL (Refer to Table 3 at Page 13
for a comparison of LED lighting and traditional lighting).
3.
Major reduction in
power costs:
LED reduces
electricity usage by about 70% as compared to CFL and 80%
compared to Halogen Light.
4.
Low power
consumption, high intensity Efficiency:
LED generates low
wattage but does not compromise on light efficiency.
With low heat
emission, it decreases load on Air-Conditioning
LED produces more
lumens per watt of energy as compare to CFL.
5.
Maintenance free,
easy installation (Durability):
LED has no fragile
filament or tube. Even if you drop the LED, it will not shatter
into pieces.
In addition, LED
suffers no degradation in performance if switched on and off
frequently, unlike CFL.
6.
Less wastage of
light:
LED lamps have better
control over the direction(s) in which their light is emitted.
This is advantageous in applications where you only want the
light to go in one general direction (Unidirectional) rather
than in all directions (omnidirectional).
Think of recessed
ceiling lighting where any light not directed downward is
wasted. LEDs tend to generate light in one direction. By using
lenses in the LED lamp, this light can be spread out to achieve
various specified beam angles.
To do with
incandescent or fluorescent light sources, which emit light in
all directions, a reflector must be used (the 'R' part of
'PAR38' for example), and these reflectors are never perfect,
causing some light loss in the process. This further increases
the efficiency advantage of LED lamps over traditional light
sources.
7.
Speed:
LED turns on instantly
(reaching full brightness immediately). It lights up quickly in
micro seconds compared to other light source.
CFLs tend to have a
warm-up period which may range from a few seconds to over a
minute. During this warm-up period they may not be as bright as
they will eventually brighten. This can lead to disadvantages
ranging from having to wait for light levels to increase to a
useful level, wasting time and electricity, to turning the
lights on before you really need them, in anticipation of the
warm-up period, wasting electricity.
8.
Effective in
Temperature change:
LED lamps can be used
in colder temperatures than CFLs.
Most CFLs will not
turn on or will only emit very low levels of light in the cold
(near freezing).
9.
Solid-state and
vibration-resistant:
Different from the
tube of conventional lamp which is made of conventional glass,
the tube of the LED lamp is made of acrylic. So it is very solid
and hardy and will not be broken even if it falls on the floor.
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