THE POWERFUL IMPACT OF LED'S

THE POWERFUL IMPACT OF LED'S

Maybe you have heard some hype about LEDs. Unlike fads that come and go, there are some wonderful reasons that LEDs should be incorporated into your everyday lighting use. The first, and possibly most important reason in our expanding global consciousness of green technology, is the long life and high efficiency of LEDs versus fluorescent light bulbs. LEDs have a lifespan of 50,000 hours and emit an amount of 6-8 watts per unit of light. In comparison, fluorescent light bulbs have a lifespan of 8,000 hours and emit 13-15 watts per unit of light. Just to break this down into basic terms, because light bulb speak is starting to annoy even me, LEDs last almost six times longer than fluorescent light bulbs and use less than half the amount of power during their lifespan. Compared to the incandescent light bulb, LEDs last forty times longer while and emit ten times less power during their lifespan. This makes LEDs pretty much a no brainer. To give you some more facts, here are some wonderful ways LEDs are being used.

1. NASA’s Kennedy Space Station – NASA has been using LED technology to promote plant growth. I’d say this is pretty cool, NASA is using LED’s as a way to try to grow food for astronauts while they’re traveling in deep space. If this doesn’t speak to the efficiency of LED’s, I don’t know what will.
2. LED Virtual Sky – Did I mention the LED’s feel like natural lights? Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO is a company that has used the natural feel of LED’s to recreate a sky inside the office. Think about it, there are people out there working under a virtual sky while some of us recreate Office Space on an everyday basis with fluorescent panels. As crazy as it sounds, there’s actually something in this: tests show a 15% productivity boost in work environments using the Virtual Sky LED technology.
3. LED and Solar Technology – Because of its high efficiency, LED lights are the best option as the light source for solar lighting technology. Another reason why LED’s are taking us into a more green friendly way of life.
4. LED and Milk Production – In another interesting study overseen by Oklahoma State University, it has been found that cows under LED lights produce 6% more milk that cows under fluorescent lighting. The theory they have pieced together: LED’s reduce stress, making for more contented and productive cows.
5. After reading these important ways LEDs are utilized in our community today, there is one commonality that connects all four of these uses together. Besides their high efficiency, LEDs create a natural and pleasant environment. Lighting can mean everything. It can mean the difference between horrible and perfect make-up for a woman. It can make or break your reading time. The lighting in your everyday life overall can affect your mood, and this reason alone is enough of a reason to switch your lighting choices.

For more information on the different ways LEDs are utilized, check out these sources:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/plant_growth.html

http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2012/january/sky-light-sky-bright.html