6 Ways LED Lighting Can Benefit Your Business
There are many ways that switching to LED lighting can help your business. You may be wondering if making the change is worth your time and investment. A commercial electrician can get the job done safely, efficiently, and affordably. Here are a few reasons why LED lighting is the best choice for your business.
1. Energy Efficiency
LED bulbs are the most energy-efficient kind of lighting. The efficiency is calculated with two factors. The first is source efficiency. This is how efficient the LED appliance is by itself. The second is luminaire efficiency. This is how well the device works to output the desired amount of light.
LED lights also generate less heat than similar light bulbs. Managing heat is very important for the bulbs because too much heat can shorten the lifespan of the bulb. In fact, most modern LED bulbs contain heat sinks to reduce the amount of heat produced by the light. Additionally, they emit their light and heat in a specific direction, rather than in all directions, like incandescent and CFL bulbs. This also contributes to their energy efficiency.
2. Long Lifetime
LED bulbs are the longest-lasting kind of light bulb available. They don't burn out as other light bulbs do. Instead, they grow dimmer over time. The lifetime of an LED ends when the bulb's brightness has lowered by 30 percent.
A good quality white LED light is expected to last at least 30,000 hours. To put this in perspective, an incandescent bulb lasts about 1,000 hours, and a good CFL will last for 10,000 hours. In general, they are very reliable and not prone to catastrophic failure.
3. Better for the Environment
LED lighting is the superior choice if you are concerned about the environment for many reasons. LED bulbs require less energy to operate and generate less heat than their counterparts. Because these bulbs are long-lasting, they create less waste. Fewer bulbs are thrown away, and fewer bulbs are produced to replace them. Keeping bulbs in use removes LED bulbs from the waste stream.
In addition to the above reasons, LED production is also better for the planet. CFL bulbs contain dangerous chemicals like mercury. This means that they should not be disposed of in the regular trash and should be recycled appropriately. LEDs do not contain mercury and are better for the earth.
4. Low Operation Costs
In the past, the high cost of LED bulbs kept business owners away from transitioning to this kind of lighting. When they were newer in the 2000s, LED bulbs could cost $75 each. Nowadays, the cost of the bulbs has come down significantly. They generally still cost a bit more than their incandescent or CFL counterparts. However, with the extended lifespan of LED lights, they will need to be replaced less often.
They are also much cheaper to operate than other similar bulbs. It will cost less than $1-2 each year to operate an LED bulb. A halogen bulb with similar brightness to an LED bulb can cost more than four times more than the LED bulb to use. The savings in operating costs can make up for a higher upfront cost.
5. Easy Installation
LED lights are very easy to install. There are some bulbs that screw into regular light fixtures. Others wire into your home's electrical system. This is an easy task for any electrician or skilled handyman. These kinds of light fixtures are low-voltage and can be added to your business without changing any existing wiring.
One of the best things about these lights is their versatility. LEDs come in all different colors, sizes, brightness, and styles. Because they can be so small and so bright, they offer a whole new way to use lighting that has not been possible before.
6. Color Quality
The color of light emitted by a light bulb is called the correlated color temperature of the light. This affects how the light is reflected on objects and can impact how your eye views color. This is called color fidelity. These are important because they are factors in the Color Rendering Index (CRI). To preserve color fidelity is to have an item appear to be the same color under artificial light and natural light.
Indoors, a CRI of 80 or higher is generally considered the minimum to preserve color fidelity. LED bulbs regularly come in with a CRI over 90. This is a detailed way to say that LED lights are better are presenting objects as the color they actually are.
Contact a Commercial Electrician
Switching the lights in your business to LEDs can be done without a headache. You need a commercial electrician that is experienced in working with businesses and LED lighting. Vine Electric will work with you to install the best lighting solutions for your business.
