The Pros and Cons of Low Energy LED Lighting

For most people, probably the biggest single factor against low energy LED lighting as a substitute for the soon-to-be-phased-out regular incandescent light bulb is the cost differential. There is no doubt that an LED equivalent light bulb (for example a 6w LED spotlight as a direct replacement for a 35w GU10 halogen lamp) is significantly more expensive than either the original or a CFL alternative.

There are however three important points to bear in mind about the higher price for low energy LEDs as compared to incandescent and energy saving CFL light bulbs.

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First, the price difference reflects the fact that the use of LED for general purpose domestic lighting is still quite novel, though increasing manufacturing levels and consumer take-up will drive the price down dramatically once both come fully on stream over the coming months.

Second, and partially related to the observation above, is that the cost of LEDs drops by a factor of twenty over the course of each decade. This characteristic is reliably predicted by Haitz's Law (very similar to Moore's Law for computer chips and for similar reasons, principally because LEDs are, just like computer chips, pure electronic devices). Haitz also states that LED performance (amount of light per watt of electricity) increases tenfold over the same decade.

Third and perhaps most intriguing is the fact that as far as the cost of domestic lighting is concerned, the price of light bulbs is almost entirely irrelevant. It is an extraordinary yet easily provable fact that even if regular light bulbs were totally free and LED lights cost, let's say something outrageous like each, it would still be vastly more economical to purchase LED low energy lights.

The reason for this is simple: the cost of electrical lighting is the cost of the energy i.e. electricity. It matters not one jot what the actual light bulbs cost; it's what it costs to run them that really counts. Also, since LEDs last for tens of thousands of hours (in practice, decades of use) you only need to pay the purchase price once, unlike regular bulbs which last only upto two thousand hours or just over one year.

The second biggest gripe about low energy LED lighting is light levels and quality, or in technical parlance luminosity and light color.

The concern about luminosity stems largely from historical notions of LED lighting applications such as LED Christmas lights and pocket torches which are clearly not capable of providing anything close to useable domestic lighting. However, you could right now purchase one of the latest Sharp Zenigata LED series of light bulbs which is rated at 80 lumens per watt (measure of luminosity).

To understand what this means, consider that a standard 40w incandescent bulb delivers about 360 lumens and a 60w bulb about 540 lumens, which gives a ratio of 9 lumens per watt. Anything that offers greater than 25 lumens per watt can be classed as an energy saving light bulb. Zenigata LED light bulbs consume 6.7 watts and thus produce 6.7 * 80 lumens per watt which is 536 lumens, on a par with the standard 60w incandescent light bulb.

So you could, right now, replace all your 60w light bulbs with Zenigata LED light bulbs rated at 6.7 watts and consume 1/10th (or 90% less) electricity. And remember Haitz's Law? Because of performance improvements, eighteen months from now you should be able to obtain the same 60w worth of lighting from just 3 watts.

LED light, in common with CFLs, has tended to be a somewhat cool blue colour, whereas we are more accustomed to a warmer yellow white colour. This is something that is now commonly addressed with the use of colored phosphors (these do reduce luminosity but this is in turn compensated for by the ever increasing lumens per watt yields for LEDs).

The third factor that might be considered to weigh against low energy LED lighting is that the light emitted by an LED is intrinsically directional and doesn't scatter in all directions the way that incandescent and fluorescent lights do. This is actually quite acceptable in a spotlight, flood light or bright reading lamp, but it's not especially effective for emulating general ambient lighting such as a table lamp would provide. Though again, there are LED powered general lighting light bulbs becoming more commonly available that do a reasonable job here.

Two obvious plus points for low energy LED lighting are ease of retrofit and ecological credentials (other than simply saving energy).

LED lights are widely available for all common base fittings such as mains powered GU10 and 12v MR16 spotlights and the low energy standard base GU24 as well as regular bayonet mounts and Edison screw fittings. LED lights also don't suffer from the many inherent problems associated with CFLs such as: noticeably poor start-up times; reduced lifespan caused by frequent switching on and off; and bulky unattractive bulbs.

But perhaps one of the most widely known advantages of low energy LED lighting over energy saving CFL light bulbs is that they don't contain toxic mercury vapour or other unpleasant materials, and thus do not pose a serious health risk or require tiresome and expensive disposal procedures to protect the environment.

To sum up, the main perceived disadvantages of domestic energy saving LED lighting are cost and application (luminosity and color). Yet as we have seen, the cost of a light bulb is actually a red herring - the true cost of electrical lighting is the price of electricity and on this score ultra low energy LED lighting puts everything else, including energy saving CFLs, completely in the shade (pun intended).

As regards luminosity and light quality, LED lights on balance deliver a cleaner, sharper light than CFL light bulbs and offer far more flexibility in terms of color choice and brightness.

Finally, the biggest advantage that low energy domestic LED lighting has over its rivals is that the lighting industry itself regards domestic LED lighting as the future and can barely disguise its contempt for CFLs. Lighting giants such as Philips are on record as stating that they will not invest a single dollar further into CFLs and that their entire research and development efforts are now directed at domestic LED lighting technology.

Those who follow eco-technology trends are well aware that there is a world-wide phase-out of incandescent light bulbs already well underway and scheduled to complete within the next couple of years. Given international legislation to ban incandescent lighting and lack of support for the already dated and unloved CFL, it's near certain where the future of lighting lies - with low energy LED light. And as advantages go, I'd say that one's pretty compelling.

The Pros and Cons of Low Energy LED Lighting

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Outdoor String Lighting for All Seasons

Providing the proper lighting for outdoor parties and social gatherings can pose quite a challenge especially if budget is limited.  Ordinary lights might be too harsh and bright.  Multiple small fixtures such as table lamps and floor lamps are just too tedious to set up.  They are also not safe to use outdoors.  Outdoor lighting strings may be the perfect solution to this dilemma.

String lighting use small wattage bulbs and emit a soft ambient glow that isn't too dim or too bright.  Almost everyone probably has a set or two of this type of lighting that they use as Christmas decor.  You can place them indoors or outdoors and can easily set it up safely on your Christmas tree, garden bushes or outer portions of your home.  They look particularly good in gazebos and on the arches of your front patio.  You can use zip ties or a staple gun to attach them to things.

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 There are different types of outdoor lighting strings depending on what you will use it for.  Rope Lights are available in assorted colors and are available in discount stores and home centers.  Rope lights can be strung end to end and are great for homes, farms or other areas that need even lighting.  They can also be used inside tent canopies and run along fences and outlines of garden trellises.  Rope lights produce good subtle lighting effect underneath garden benches.

Outdoor String Lighting that use larger bulbs are usually bought in 10 foot lengths and can be purchases at Target and party supply stores.  These are too large for table tops, buffet tables or accent pieces and are often hung overhead, on fences and larger areas that need lighting that's brighter than what small bulbs can produce.

Most outdoor light strings are also safe for indoor use but indoor lights can't be used outdoors.  If you use indoor one for the outdoors, there is a danger of short circuiting or electrical problems if the lights get wet or rained on.  Be sure to check the carton of the string lighting to make sure it is safe for used outside the home.

Most people think of Christmas when you mention string lighting but the fact is you can use outdoor string lighting for other purposes.  They make great accents for restaurants and shops.  String lighting can be used as permanent fixtures for buildings or amusement parks.  The possibilities are endless.  The great thing about it is it won't cost much but will produce the ambiance that other traditional lighting fixtures can't.

Outdoor String Lighting for All Seasons

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Lighting the Art Or a Photo Gallery

If there is a place where lighting is so important that it affects business, it has to be an art gallery. Lighting in an art gallery is of extreme importance. To provide the gallery with the right aura it is necessary to have the right type of lighting. Art galleries must use a balanced mix of all type of lighting; this includes task lighting, accent lighting and ambient lighting. However, accent lighting will be used more than the other forms as this will be used to focus on the different art that is present for display. The galleries, including lighting is kept simple in a gallery as the art needs to be the center of attraction. The lighting in galleries must be flexible. An object that is placed in one area can be moved to another easily to add to the aesthetic value of the gallery and the object on display. Hence the light should also be flexible in order to provide the right illumination in all the places in the gallery. In a gallery direct light also needs to be avoided. It may be possible to direct this light to different objects but it may not always be possible to provide sufficient light. A good choice when lighting art galleries is monorail and track lighting fixtures. Halogen lamps are also a good source of light in galleries.

Galleries also face a unique lighting problem; the area that is lit. The amount of light that is projected to an object is limited, this does not pose too much of a problem when the object that is lit is large. On the other hand if the object is small and the area around it is lit, then the attention will be drawn away from the object to the wall. Using the right lamp will help you solve this problem easily. Glare is also a problem that you will encounter in an art gallery, before you use accessories like barn doors etc, the lighting fixtures need to be mounted at the right place. This will help you to decide whether glare will be a problem or not.

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The fixtures need to be mounted at an angle of 30 degrees to avoid a glare on the art work. To achieve this effect in narrow hallways the use of monorail lighting is advised. Apart from all this a gallery has the tricky business of providing lighting for 3 dimensional arts. This is more difficult than lighting hanging art work. The light reflected from each object will greatly affect the appearance and the impact of the object on the audience. Lighting from one direction only will not be sufficient as many times it will produce shadows.

Lighting the Art Or a Photo Gallery

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LED Lights - Christmas is Not All LED Lighting is For

During the last five years, LED (light emitting diode) lights have become more and more popular, as well as more affordable. While the technology that was first discovered in the early 1900s has already been used for several decades in commercial applications such as billboards, traffic lights, and exit signs, it has now made its way into the home in a whole lot more than just the display on your electric alarm clock.

The Many Uses and Types of LED Lights

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Also referred to as solid-state lighting, LEDs use several types of inorganic semiconductor materials to create light that is visible to the eye. These materials, which vary depending on the color needed, are encased in a highly durable plastic, allowing the lights to be used in many different practical applications in everything from a simple calculator to the most advanced of electronics.

Some of the other many items utilizing LED technology include indicator lights on automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, and boats, traffic lights, exit signs, strips of emergency landing lights at airports, as well as in lanterns and flashlights. Places like Las Vegas would look totally different, not to mention mostly dark, without the use of light emitting diodes. Even some museums are now turning to LED lights as the amount of ultraviolet (UV) rays that are emitted in comparison to the heat given off by other types of lighting is negligible and keeps the valuable artwork and delicate artifacts safe from heat damage.

Extremely useful applications in the world of medicine, including pulse oximeters that measure the amount of oxygen saturation within the blood, also use LED lights in their displays, as well as in a process for sterilizing water and in a special type of phototherapy used for treating acne. Computers and wireless, optical mice also use light emitting diodes, along with a host of sporting good equipment, toys, flashlights, cell phones, remote controls, and video games.

For the sheer purpose of lighting, LEDs are also used in light bulbs, grow lights for gardening, street lights, architectural lights, stage lighting, large video displays, and emergency lights for police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.

As technology continues to advance, it's expected that LED lights will soon be used all over the inside and the outside of the home, giving people the option of changing both the color and intensity of their lighting with the flip of a switch, creating a variety of special effects and moods.

Basically, there are three different types of LED lights and they include alphanumeric, illumination, and miniature. Each of these types also come in a variety of shapes and sizes as the plastic that holds the diodes is able to shaped into many different forms. Clusters of LEDs can be placed into straight lines, as they are in clocks or signs, or in an array of geometric patterns, both uniform and irregular.

Some of the many advantages of LED lights include:

- Most all LED lights will gradually dim over time, as opposed to abruptly "burning out" the way other light bulbs do. The average lifespan of most types of LED lights is an astounding 35,000 to 50,000 hours of use, as opposed to an average of one to two thousand hours of light from incandescent bulbs and 30,000 for fluorescent tube lighting.

- There is no mercury or hazardous materials within LED lights, enabling them to be discarded right along with the regular garbage instead of needing to be disposed of carefully the way fluorescent bulbs must be.

- Since the casing used to house the materials to create light emitting diodes is made of an extremely durable epoxy based plastic, they're virtually indestructible and are able to withstand use in harsh outdoor conditions as well.

Some of the known disadvantages of LED lights include:

- Light emitting diodes are definitely more expensive, at least initially, on a price per lumen basis in comparison to traditional forms of lighting.

- The overall performance of light emitting diodes will mostly depend on the ambient temperature of the environment, or the room temperature. Adequately heat-sinking the diodes is needed if the application will be in regular contact with high temperatures.

- LEDs aren't capable of producing collimated beams of light, which are light rays that are parallel with one another such as those used in lasers, without the addition of a collimation lens.

LED Lights - Christmas is Not All LED Lighting is For

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G9 Light Bulbs - Perfect Lighting For Indoor and Outdoor Use

Incandescent bulbs, in layman's terms, refer to quite simple structures that give a radiant sheen and steady light. An incandescent bulb's core has two metal contacts at the bottom of the base, and this is where it gets its power. Incandescent lighting devices are designed with a wide array of voltages and sizes, ranging from 1.5 volts to about 300 volts. These devices usually do not entail any external regulating equipment and are noted to incur much lower manufacturing costs. In addition, incandescent lights such as the halogen G9 light bulbs, work well on both alternating and direct currents. These qualities help to make the incandescent lamp a popularly-used household and commercial lighting material. It also is a preferred material for portable lighting uses, whether they are utilized as car headlamps, table lamps or electric flashlights, a well as for outdoor and indoor advertising and decorative lighting.

According to lighting experts, halogen light bulbs are essentially incandescent lamps in their design and construction, and operate relatively like standard light bulbs. Though, these are quite smaller than their other incandescent relatives, they are known to offer a better lifespan, as well as produce higher and much steadier lighting outputs. A halogen light bulb is best noted for combining with tungsten, especially when the temperature of the medium is sufficiently high. Because of this trait, the generated tungsten vapor is recycled back to the filament, and not simply deposited or stored on the inner walls of the envelope.

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G9 light bulbs, according to lighting experts, are designed with a pin base that has two contact pins on the underside of the bulb. These pins are then given a G or GY designation, and the corresponding number refers to the center-to-center distance in millimeters. For instance, a 4 mm pin base will then be designated as G4, or GY4 light bulb. Among the more common G or GY light bulb dimensions include the G4 (4 mm), G6.35 (6.35 mm), G8 (8 mm), G9 (9 mm), and GY9.5 (9.5 mm). In these designations, the second letter will indicate the pin's diameter.

A G9 halogen light bulb is often utilized as a downlight or spotlight, and these have qualities which are similar to the typical 12 Volt halogen bulbs. However, the G9 operates at mains voltage, which means that these do not require a transformer to lower the voltage down, and also indicates that these can be dimmed through the use of conventional dimmers. These halogen light bulb variants are known to be efficient lighting instruments, because they deliver more lumens per watt than the standard tungsten lamps. However, it would be solely up to the user to use the appropriate wattage setting in order to attain the desired lighting levels.

Halogen G9 light bulbs are also safe to use, and do not emit considerable amounts of harmful ultraviolet radiation (UV), contrary to unverified consumer reports. While a conventional incandescent lamp generates about 75 micro watts per lumen of ultraviolet radiation, and unshielded halogen emits 100- 200 µW/lm, some manufacturers and product testing firms now require that halogen lamps and bulbs incorporate a glass shield, to help in significantly bringing down harmful UV emissions to safe and negligible levels. For outdoor use, these halogen lighting variants also offer a steady, brilliant light radius that helps to best illuminate your entire yard or driveway. The light generated by these devices is truly powerful, and it often only requires one well-placed light bulb or lamp to achieve this. For those who have a halogen light fixture outdoors, you'll notice that when the bulb starts to fade out, the difference would surely be like night and day. These lighting variants make for dependable home security devices, and serve to liven up the back or front yard with steady yet gentle lighting.

G9 Light Bulbs - Perfect Lighting For Indoor and Outdoor Use

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Lighting Scheme Tips for the Use of Each Room in Your House

Before deciding upon the lighting needed for each room, take a step back and look at how the room will be used. Is it a working room that needs a high level of light or it is a room to relax in that needs a low level of light? Your chosen scheme for each room needs to provide the adequate level of lighting based on the room's intended use.

A room that will be used heavily for work such as a kitchen, playroom, game room, utility room, study or even a home office needs a high level of lighting. Wall lamps, overhead lighting, strategically placed table lamps and focal pointing pendant lighting will provide the practical lighting needed for these rooms.

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Rooms that are used for different purposes such a living room, bedroom and even bathrooms now a day need functional lighting that can easily change the ambience of the room. Overhead and ceiling recessed lights with dimmers can draw attention to focal points and provide that practical lighting while table lamps can provide that cozy and relaxing atmosphere.

Rooms that need to feel welcoming and inviting need intermediate lighting such as in your dining room or in hallways. Pendant lights, wall lamps, picture lamps and table lamps will all provide this intermediate ambience needed.

Remember, choosing lighting products should be based on the intended use of each room and should be as important part of your home decor as how you choose to decorate your home. Sports lamp and lighting products and accessories are a great choice of lighting decor that will add practical lighting with a unique sense of class and style to your home decor.

Lighting Scheme Tips for the Use of Each Room in Your House

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Lighting Your Model Railroad Landscape

To benefit from your model railroad, a good lighting source is quintessential. Often, none of your hard work and finite detail will show up when it cannot be seen. Many people use simple table lamps for the lighting of their structures, however, I really recommend over head lighting at the least. In many model train clubs, members install dedicated track lighting solutions to ensure light shines where it's needed - that being on the parts of the project where more work has gone into, mainly cities, towns, or finely crafted landscapes.

But there is more. Sure, it's great to have overhead lighting and have your rail setup to look as if it is high noon all day every day, but the truth is we build these to reproduce a realistic effect. We enjoy the realism of the train rolling into the yard and finding a new load on its own. This is why we introduce different mechanics into lighting these models! Some people (myself included) really like the way our trains look when traveling at dusk. We use a spotlight floor lamp to produce a shaded and nostalgic effect across the train scene. Another method to do this is to use rope lights which are composed of several LEDs of a different color.

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To use regular lights and produce a realistic evening lighting for you model scale trains, you can even use strips of tin foil rolled slightly and then use colored saran wrap or whatever colored plastic you have to produce a colored hue over your build. Finally, I would like to briefly talk about structure lighting. When you build your structures, try to wire some low-power LEDS into them, you can put these on a switch somewhere and activate it when it gets dark, by illuminating the sights and signs the same way, you can produce truly realistic lighting.

Lighting Your Model Railroad Landscape

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