LED Use Reduces Electrical Loads
Light Emitting Diodes Increasingly Used to for General Illumination
Light emitting diode (LED) technology offers new energy saving solutions for general illumination tasks, especially in commercial applications.
The innovative use of light emitting diode (LED) technology is encroaching on products traditionally used for general illumination. Consumers have witnessed the increasing use of LED devices in signaling equipment like traffic lights and in consumer products like sport headlamps and flashlights. Many manufacturers are providing holiday lights that offer safety and energy consumption advantages.
Benefits of LED Use - LED lighting represents a fundamental difference in the use of electrical energy for illumination. Incandescent bulbs depend on a glowing filament to produce light. A significant portion of the energy flowing though an incandescent bulb is wasted as heat. LED's direct all the energy provided to generate light. Light emitting diodes and devices made with them require much less maintenance. Lamps are replaced less often, creating a savings in both replacing the lamp and the labor required to change it. Twenty percent of the energy consumed in the United States and globally is used for lighting. The use of LED's for general illumination purposes has the potential to save a considerable a portion of this energy used for lighting.
Replacement Products - A well-known Canadian LED lighting manufacturer, CRS Electronics of Welland, Ontario has come out with two pioneering products that replace roles formerly played by halogen and fluorescent technology. Their LED linear tube is meant to replace conventional fluorescent tube lighting. The CRS MR 16 directly replaces fluorescent tubes without modification to the electrical fixture. Advantages cited for the LED linear tubes include a service life expectancy that exceeds 40,000 hours, no gases or mercury that could be introduced into the environment, and an energy savings of fifty percent. The second product is a LED luminaire that replaces applications that previously used halogen spot and floodlights. Called the CRS MR16, the LED luminaire shares the same advantages as the LED linear tube, but offers a 87% reduction in electrical consumption.
Energy Savings - Shifting to LED technology can have a profound effect on energy consumption, especially in commercial applications. Using the Chicago Sears Tower as an example, replacing its 125,000 fluorescent tubes with an LED equivalent would reduce power consumption by four million kilowatt hours or $420,000 in electricity over the span of one year, based on the lights being used ten hours a day for 300 days in the year. This represents nearly a one and a half megawatt reduction in peak daytime electrical demand. LED use in this situation would also reduce greenhouse gasses by about 2,800 tons.
In a recent press release, Scott Riesebosch, President of CRS Electronics says, "After years of experience through our involvement in LED product markets, CRS is pleased to be on the leading edge of the development of LED in general lighting. We are quite enthused about our new products and how they will help reduce energy demand and consumption as well as benefit the environment." The eventual use of light emitting diodes for everyday lighting will greatly reduce energy consumption, decrease the generation of greenhouse gasses, and most importantly let us save on the monthly electrical bill.
