Whereas the marketplace for colored (Red, Green, Blue) RGB LEDs is well established, the market for white LEDs is still growing. Why? When you think of industries that still rely on white, non-LED lighting, such as for example televisions, automotive manufacturers, computer monitors, mobile computing, LCD backlights, etc., you can understand the push to end up being 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 on the market, does not mean that they should be on your immediate grocery list. In very easy terms, the marketplace for colored and color-changing LEDs is mature. While engineers remain finding ways to make them brighter and much more efficient, the ultimate goal of the LED industry is in developing volume production of high-efficiency, high-brightness white LEDs.
It may be better to think of colored LEDs (RGB) and white LEDs with regards to another industry: Automotive. RGB LEDs are like the internal combustion engine: Reliable, abundant, user friendly and manufacture, and fairly well toned in terms of the potential for new or breakthrough technologies. You will find plenty on manufacturers and each has their own group of patents and “tricks of the trade” to greatly help give themselves some marketing leverage over the competition. White LEDs are like the alternative energy industry for transportation: Quite varied, still relatively “new”, still needing to be market proven, more expensive, more challenging to manage.
There are lots of manufacturers, each using a different technology or combination of technologies to achieve what they believe is the “another 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 thought of previously. White LEDs, alternatively remain developing technically and should not be shopped based on cost alone. The necessity for quality and longevity is what fuels the further research and development into white LEDs.
11 THINGS TO CONSIDER IN DETERMINING LED UPGRADES
Because you can find so many variables that require to be considered, making a quick and easy recommendation about transitioning to white LEDs isn’t possible. To get a jump start on the near future, consider every lighting source in each room and establish what it’s primary purpose is. Once you have done this, review the next what 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 may be the right choice for you:
1.) Is the lighting located in a house where in fact the primary resident is older or has mobility issues?
If the LED replacement produces adequate light levels, LED alternatives are perfect for used in homes where safety is really a top priority. Understanding that an ill or older person will not need to change a burned-out lamp again can provide peace-of-mind.
2.) Is initial cost a primary factor in determining if you are going to upgrade?
The existing nature of the white LED market implies that prices are still relatively high, especially in comparison to traditional lighting. As an early adopter means paying reduced; are you more comfortable with knowing you might have paid less for the same technology in the event that you had waited?
3.) May be the light situated in bright daytime sunlight or a location 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 allow for adequate passive cooling in order to avoid color-shift and longevity issues. This can be a much bigger concern when considering retrofit bulbs versus considering a “total package” LED fixture and lamp.
4.) Are you needing to decrease the heat output from the traditional light source?
In bathrooms, laundry rooms and small spaces, conventional lighting can produce uncomfortable heat. LED lighting is ideal for these areas since they produce no heat and because affordably illuminating smaller areas with LEDs presents significantly less of a challenge.
5.) May be 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 may break a lamp filament and winter that can result in a fluorescent tube to flicker are of no consequence to LED lighting, making these replacements a fairly easy decision.
6.) Is the brightness critical to the application?
LEDs are directional by nature, so trying to meet a particular brightness expectation over a broad area is not the very best use of LED lamps. The existing 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 support an LED replacement?
Most current lighting fixtures are designed 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 to make LEDs “work” for the best amount of retrofits. When possible, rather than retrofit bulbs consider a “total package” LED lighting fixture that is designed from the ground around efficiently use LEDs.
8.) Is the light output and quality of the LED version acceptable compared to your existing lighting?
With all of the lighting technology available (incandescent, fluorescent, LED, etc.) the only way to get an accurate idea of how the lighting will perform would be to compare the light output or lumen and color temperature specifications instead of the wattage as is typical of all folks raised with traditional lighting in the home. The US Department of Energy has devised a standardized “lighting facts” label similar in concept to the nutrition label found on foods, to greatly help consumers compare lighting.
9.) Will be UFO Led High Bay Light considering replacing difficult to gain access to or reach?
If they’re, LED replacements are great candidates because once they are changed, you will likely never have to change them again since LEDs do not “burn up” like a conventional bulb.
10.) Are you currently replacing all the light bulbs in a specific area or just an individual bulb?
Unless you know the color temperature of all lighting in the room, play the role of 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 a single reading lamp to LED with a cooler lighting temperature can not only be noticeable, but may also be distracting.
11.) Does the power savings and/or return on investment (ROI) make it worthwhile at this time?Prepare an energy audit using free web calculators to determine how much money you will put away on energy and what the potential return on investment is. Just enter your energy rates, the total wattage of one’s conventional lighting and the full total wattage of the LED lighting you are 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 should be considered individually contrary to the above checklist. Doing so will help you to determine LED upgrade plans that fit within both your budget and your expectations. Generally, LED lighting will continue to improve in both output and efficiency every year similar to the way the non-public computer market has evolved. What could possibly be considered a “middle of the road” LED lamp today, was very likely considered reduced product per year or two ago. Prioritizing your LED lighting purchases so the basics are covered first and delaying your more demanding lighting requirements because the technology improves will ensure a cushty transition to tomorrows lighting technology.