In this white paper, we take a look at LED lighting and its advantages, whilst discussing its applications.

Light Emitting Diodes, LEDs, are in almost every electronic device and have been popular for decades.

Whilst the incandescent light bulb has been the light of choice for at least 100 years, many believe the LED will soon replace it.
LED's are very similar to traditional light bulbs, except that they fit directly into an electrical circuit. They do not have a filament, so they generally last for a long, long time without burning out. With no filament, LED's do not get hot and require far less electric power than traditional light bulbs.

There are many reasons why LED light bulbs will become more popular and replace existing lighting systems. The main benefits include:

• LEDs are extremely efficient and require very little current to illuminate.
• LEDs don't heat up, making them perfect for many electronic applications where heat is detrimental. In a traditional light bulb, the vast majority, sometimes more than 80%, of the electricity used to illuminate a light bulb is wasted not in light, but in heat.
• LEDs are virtually indestructible, compared to a traditional light bulb.
• LEDs can be mass produced and are extremely affordable.
• LEDs are considered to be ‘solid state devices’ i.e. with no moving parts and are generally more reliable.

LEDs are much more efficient at converting electricity to visible-spectrum light than traditional incandescent light bulbs.

Typically, LEDs were over 50 times more energy efficient than the incandescent bulbs.

However, initially there was one downside.

LEDs have very highly directed light; unlike an incandescent light, which typically casts its light over a wide area more or less equally, LED (house) lights are very focused, so that the area they shine on directly is quite bright, while the further you go from the direct beam of light, the fainter the light provided.

Light manufacturers have been working around the issue of this narrow beam, by designing and now manufacturing units that are a collection of individual LEDs aimed at different angles, so that a wider area is highly illuminated.

LEDs are an improvement over existing installations as replacements for lights that are highly area specific. For example, narrow corridors where only directed light is required. In such cases, an LED light is a perfect solution with savings of up to 90% of the energy costs by switching from either an incandescent or a halogen light.

Task lighting is key area for LED lighting applications. The restricted requirement for lighting in these smaller spaces can be fully met by this new form of lighting.

Manufacturers have been introducing new LED lighting systems and lights that are full and complete replacements for existing incandescent and halogen lights.

Over the past 12 - 18 months, the pace of introduction has increased with LEDs now available as direct replacements for fluorescent tubes. LED lights with appropriate fittings are now widely available on the market. Leading manufacturers have solved the design issues faced when trying to incorporate LED solutions into existing lighting fixtures.

For more information on LED lighting and its application for your business, call Mace on 01283 511 726 or email info@mace.uk.com