Whereas the marketplace for colored (Red, Green, Blue) RGB LEDs is well established, the marketplace for white LEDs continues to be growing. Why? Once you think of industries that still rely on white, non-LED lighting, such as televisions, automotive manufacturers, computer monitors, notebook computers, LCD backlights, etc., you can understand the push to become the leader in white LED manufacturing.
Many people are surprised a business would avoid a revenue generating opportunity that converting a home or business to LED would create. However, just because replacement white LED bulbs and retrofits are finally in the marketplace, does not mean that they should be on your immediate shopping list. In very easy terms, the marketplace for colored and color-changing LEDs is mature. While engineers are still finding ways to make sure they are brighter and much more efficient, the holy grail of the LED industry is in developing volume production of high-efficiency, high-brightness white LEDs.
It may be easier to think of colored LEDs (RGB) and white LEDs with regard to another industry: Automotive. RGB LEDs are like the internal combustion engine: Reliable, abundant, simple to operate and manufacture, and fairly well toned with regards to the prospect of new or breakthrough technologies. You will find plenty on manufacturers and each has their own group of patents and “tricks of the trade” to help give themselves some marketing leverage on the competition. White LEDs are just like the alternative energy industry for transportation: Quite varied, still relatively “new”, still needing to be market proven, more costly, more challenging to control.
There are plenty of manufacturers, each utilizing a different technology or combination of technologies to achieve what they believe may be the “the next big thing.” Third , analogy, RGB LEDs are mature enough to compete on cost alone and the drop in costs is what fuels new applications for colored LEDs that was not considered previously. White LEDs, alternatively remain developing technically and really should not be shopped predicated on cost alone. The need for quality and longevity is what fuels the further research and development into white LEDs.
11 THINGS TO CONSIDER IN DETERMINING LED UPGRADES
Because there are so many variables that require to be considered, making a fast and simple recommendation about transitioning to white LEDs isn’t possible. To have a jump start on the near future, consider every lighting source in each room and establish what it’s primary purpose is. After you have done this, review the next items to help determine where on the priority purchase-list each replacement ought to be. Below are a few general ideas to help you determine if an LED upgrade is the right choice for you:
1.) May be the lighting located in a house where the primary resident is older or has mobility issues?
If the LED replacement produces adequate light levels, LED alternatives are perfect for use in homes where safety is really a top priority. Realizing that an ill or older person won’t have to change a burned-out light bulb again can provide peace-of-mind.
2.) Is initial cost a primary factor in determining if you’re going to upgrade?
The existing nature of the white LED market means that prices are still relatively high, especially in comparison to traditional lighting. Being an early adopter means paying reduced; are you comfortable with knowing you could have paid less for exactly the same technology if you had waited?
3.) May be the light situated in bright daytime sunlight or an area of high heat?
High degrees of heat will noticeably shorten the lifespan of any LED, especially white LEDs. When contemplating LEDs, try to make sure that both fixture and the positioning enable adequate passive cooling in order to avoid color-shift and longevity issues. This is the much bigger concern when considering retrofit bulbs versus considering a “total package” LED fixture and lamp.
4.) Are you needing to reduce the heat output from the traditional light source?
In bathrooms, laundry rooms and small spaces, conventional lighting can produce uncomfortable heat. LED lighting is great for these areas since they produce no heat and because affordably illuminating smaller areas with LEDs presents significantly less of a challenge.
5.) Is the lighting located in an area of rough service or environmental extremes?
Garage door openers, unheated/cooled utility rooms and outdoor workshops place extreme demands of lighting equipment. Vibrations that can break a light bulb filament and winter that can result in a fluorescent tube to flicker are of no consequence to LED lighting, making these replacements a simple decision.
6.) Is the brightness critical to the application form?
LEDs are directional by nature, so trying to meet a particular brightness expectation over a wide area is not the very best usage of LED lamps. The current crop of standard fluorescent tubes or high-bay lighting is going to be better for these applications.
7.) Are you attempting to retrofit an existing lighting fixture to accommodate an LED replacement?
250w led high bay lights are created to capture and reflect just as much light as you possibly can from conventional light sources that produce light from all 360 degrees. Because LEDs emit very directional light, you can find often many compromises that must be made by manufacturers in order to make LEDs “work” for the greatest amount of retrofits. When possible, rather than retrofit bulbs consider a “total package” LED lighting fixture that has been designed from the bottom around efficiently use LEDs.
8.) Is the light output and quality of the LED version acceptable compared to your existing lighting?
With the variety of lighting technology available (incandescent, fluorescent, LED, etc.) the only way to get an accurate idea of the way the lighting will perform would be to compare the light output or lumen and color temperature specifications rather than the wattage as is typical of all folks raised with traditional lighting in the house. THE UNITED STATES Department of Energy has devised a standardized “lighting facts” label similar in concept to the nutrition label entirely on foods, to greatly help consumers compare lighting.
9.) Will be the bulbs you’re considering replacing difficult to gain access to or reach?
If they are, LED replacements are excellent candidates because once they are changed, you’ll likely never have to change them again since LEDs usually do not “burn out” such as a conventional bulb.
10.) Are you currently replacing all the lights in a particular area or just an individual bulb?
Unless you know the color temperature of all lighting in the room, try to be consistent in whatever lighting technology you select. For instance, if your room uses primarily halogen lighting, it is likely a warm color temperature and changing an individual reading lamp to LED with a cooler lighting temperature will not only be noticeable, but may also be distracting.
11.) Does the energy savings and/or return on investment (ROI) make it worthwhile at this stage?Prepare an energy audit using free web calculators to find out how much money you will put away on energy and what the potential return on investment is. Just enter your energy rates, the full total wattage of one’s conventional lighting and the full total wattage of the LED lighting that you will be considering and the calculator will let you know exactly how much money each technology can cost you per year.
As you can plainly see, every lighting situation is highly recommended individually against the above checklist. Doing this will assist you to determine LED upgrade plans that fit within both your budget and your expectations. In general, LED lighting will continue steadily to improve in both output and efficiency every year like the way the personal computer market has evolved. What could possibly be considered a “middle of the road” LED lamp today, was more than likely considered a premium product per year or two ago. Prioritizing your LED lighting purchases so that the basics are covered first and delaying your more demanding lighting requirements as the technology improves will ensure a comfortable transition to tomorrows lighting technology.