LED Technology is Becoming a Viable Choice for Home Landscape Lighting
LED, which stands for light-emitting-diodes work on the theory of a solid state semi-conductor like a transistor. In simplest terms, illumination in a LED is a consequence of electrons moving in the semi-conducting structure and emitting photons, the primary component of light, as the electrons lose energy. Compared to the old external lighting standbys, incandescent and halogen bulbs, LEDs have little need for a vacuum, and do not have filaments which burn out. LEDs also do not get hot, last for a really long time and use far less electricity than any of the alternatives.
LEDs can be built to emit different colors and can be powered by line voltage, a low voltage transformer or a small solar panel. It can be used in a variety of typical landscape lighting applications such as spot and flood lights, path lights, beacon lights and even underwater lights. Since it consumes much less energy than regular bulbs, LED technology is particularly well suited for solar powered applications. This all makes LED lights a reallyn appealiing alternative for outdoor landscaping, so why are they not dominating this market?
LED Lighting Has an Especially High Initial Cost
LEDs have a high initial cost versus the other bulbs. The MR16 2 pin light bulb is at present a preferred choice for outdoor illumination. A 20 watt MR16 halogen bulb costs about $2.50, gives off around 300 lumens and can be anticipated to last 5,000 hours. A 5 watt MR16 LED will also give off around 300 lumens, lasts for 40,000 hrs, consumes a lot less power and costs $27. These numbers change greatly by brand and other design factors but the numbers are reasonable estimates of the anticipated performance from each of these technologies.
While this up-front cost is mostly recovered by replacement and electrical savings in the LED's lifetime, many individuals are understandably hesitant about the spending the extra money, especially when a significant number of bulbs are required.
Outside LED Lighting is Still an Inexpensive Option
Regardless over the expected lifetime of the bulb, LED lighting is the least expensive choice. Matching the 40,000 hour life of a single LED light, will need the acquisition of 8 halogen bulbs at a comparable cost of $20. Electrical costs are a direct function of the wattage of the lamps in the system. So a 20 watt halogen bulb will use 4 times the electrical power of a 5 watt LED. The cost of electricity varies widely by geography but 12 cents per kilo watt/hour is about average. A kilowatt hour is 1000 watts being consumed for 60 minutes. So over the 40,000 hour effective life, halogen bulbs will consume(40 x 20 x $.012) $96 of electricity while the LED will cost only $24. So that the total lifetime purchase + operating expense of the LED is $51 vs $116 for the halogens.
Also, initial price of LED lights is coming down dramatically as the production process and materials improve and more producers enter the market. Historically, the price of LEDs have come down by an element of 10 every decade. If this trend continues going forward in another 10 years or so , the $27 LED will cost only $2.70, which is reasonable for most all outdoor light applications.
About the Author:
Bob Long is a systems engineer and writer who enjoys fishing, watching sports and working in his yard. If you are interested learning more about landscape lighting click on the links Professional Outdoor Lighting and Landscape Lighting Ideas.
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