Feature
Green Business
Why LEDs are a bright idea
By Tony Francis (pictured), director, Pure Lighting Energy Management, part of the Get Switching Group
Indeed, the typical business consumer can expect up to 40 per cent of their electricity bill to be due to their lighting - with larger consumers, such as warehouses, nearing 60 per cent. Making your business’ lighting more efficient can dramatically cut
A costs. LEDs are ‘instant on’ lights and, unlike many fluorescent lamps, do
not need time to warm up before they work at full strength. Rather than sacrificing lighting efficiency through being ‘instantly on’, they improve it. Consuming less than 80 per cent of the electricity of traditional incandescent bulbs, LED lights significantly reduce electricity bills. Unlike typical incandescent bulbs, which emit light as a current is
passed through the metal within them, LEDs pass electrons through a semiconductor and consequently have no filament to wear out, meaning they don’t get as hot, reducing the chance of burn-out. They can produce light in a variety of colours and like the
white fluorescent tubes that light many offices, can do so without a great deal of glare. Unlike fluorescent tubes though, they can be readily turned on and off without diminishing their lifespan. The advantages of LED are quickly becoming more-widely
appreciated by customers as they replace halogen and fluorescent strip lights – LED lighting is more attractive, energy efficient, cost- effective and durable than existing lighting infrastructures. LED lighting solutions will not only help to make significant energy
and cost saving, but will also result in reduced CO2 output, helping companies to meet carbon reduction obligations, whilst improving the overall working environment, comfort and productivity. This is easily achievable, with businesses being able to carry out
a simple one-for-one retrofit, right the way through to a complex full redesign. To get the greatest efficiency it’s important that businesses
tailor any approach to their specific site, as poorly implemented LED installations will not necessarily lead to savings on its own. With that being said, it isn’t difficult for an LED lighting solution to
make a difference to your energy costs, quickly. Looking at the energy efficiency of a standard 50w halogen lamp, found in the majority of SME businesses, they use just 10 per cent of the electricity it consumes for producing its light. In a commercial building filled with these bulbs, swapping these inefficient
lights could see businesses reduce their lighting bills by 90 per cent. Despite LED prices falling, they can stull prove more expensive to
purchase compared to fluorescent tubes. However, with some LED lights have an operating lifespan of around 70,000 hours - eight to 10 times longer than standard lamps - the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ is never truer. Withstanding a greater intensity of vibration and shock, due to the
absence of filaments, LED can be exposed to rain and snow so they are the all-round solution for businesses looking to cut costs.
80 CHAMBERLINK February 2020
Other advantages include their size. Starting from as small as two millimetres, they are ideal for
fitting into hard-to-reach and compact areas. In addition, LED lights have aesthetic advantages over traditional incandescent light bulbs which rely on highly
inefficient filters to produce colour. LEDs are offered in a variety of base colours such as white,
green, red, blue and amber and have the scope to be blended together to produce millions of colour options, without including specific filters for each. It is this that makes them ideal for interactive signage, POS displays, advertising hoardings and decorative illumination of buildings. In addition, LED lights are far eco-friendlier, since they contain no
mercury or other harmful gasses and they don’t emit harmful UV rays. Crucially, few LED lights contain glass. When it comes to the environment, a 13w LED light emits 68 per cent
less carbon dioxide than a standard 40w incandescent bulb, running 10 hours per day. A switch to LED isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s common sense.
cross the UK, lighting accounts for approximately 20 per cent of all energy consumption, which means it also accounts for a significant amount of consumer energy bills.
‘LED lighting solutions will not only help to make significant energy and cost saving, but will also result in reduced CO2 output’
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