Whether your focus is on efficiency, return on investment (ROI), or sustainability, light emitting diode (LED) solutions have a lot to offer. This comprehensive guide will take a deeper look into LED lighting and its benefits over other lighting solutions. In addition, this article will address the various uses and applications of LED lighting and its importance in commercial markets.
LED lighting passes an electrical current through a microchip, which powers a light-emitting diode. An LED is a type of semiconductor which takes electrons from electrical current and recombines them with electron holes. This releases photons in a process known as electroluminescence.
The earliest practical use of LEDs was in 1962 in remote control devices, indicator lamps, and seven-segment displays (calculators, digital clocks, electronic meters, etc.). These early LEDs were limited to the color red, but later advancements began to produce a wider variety of colors by adjusting energy levels and bandgaps in the microchips.
Here are a few additional basic facts and attributes of LED lights:
The lifespan of LED bulbs and their lower energy usage are certainly major benefits of LED lights, but there is a much longer list of benefits derived from the use of LEDs in place of traditional lighting. These include:
These and other benefits of LEDs make them a viable alternative to other lighting solutions. Making comparisons between LEDs and competitive lighting types provides an even clearer picture of the advantages LED solutions provide. For an accurate comparison, note the difference in lifespan and lighting efficiency of LEDs in relation to traditional lighting types, as well as some of the other advantages and disadvantages of each.
LED |
Incandescent |
Lifespan: 25,000-100,000 hours | Lifespan: 1,000-2,500 hours |
Requires 12-13 watts to produce 1,000-1,400 lumens | Requires 75 watts to produce 1,000-1,400 lumens |
Unidirectional light projection | Omnidirectional light projection requires reflective devices to direct beam in a specific direction |
Low heat | High heat |
CRI similar to natural light | CRI may vary widely based on specific bulbs |
High initial cost | Low initial cost |
Low long-term maintenance requirements | High long-term maintenance requirements |
LED |
CFL |
Lifespan: 25,000-100,000 hours | Lifespan: 8,000 hours |
Requires 12-13 watts for 1,000-1,400 lumens | Requires 18-22 watts for 1,000-1,400 lumens |
Contains no hazardous materials | Contains mercury and phosphor |
No noticeable impact to service life when switched on/off | Degrade rapidly when switched on/off |
Unidirectional light projection | Omnidirectional light projection, requires reflective devices to direct beam in a specific direction |
Full brightness immediately upon activation | Require warm-up and cool-off periods |
CRI similar to natural light | Low CRI, which negatively impacts aesthetics and may cause eye strain |
Highly energy efficient | Highly energy efficient |
High initial cost | Low initial cost |
Low long-term maintenance requirements | Medium long-term maintenance requirements |
LED lighting outperforms the two most common traditional lighting types in lifespan, long-term costs, and functionality. Though the initial investment into LED lighting can be higher than competitive lighting types, its long-term cost-effectiveness balances out the higher initial investment with a significant amount of energy savings and substantially less frequent replacement needs.
LED lights are gaining in popularity due to the benefits listed above and the advantages they pose over competitive solutions. They provide lighting solutions for a wide range of applications. These applications include:
LEDCONN has a wide range of LED products available to provide tailored solutions for specific applications. The following case studies reflect how LEDCONN uses their products to overcome lighting challenges for their clients.
LED lighting provides architects and interior designers with a broad array of energy-saving lighting options. LEDs produce light similar to natural outdoor lighting, which helps regulate our circadian rhythms and creates a positive, comfortable, aesthetic design appeal. The improved CRI of LEDs also allows architects and designers to experiment with a broader palette of colors in architectural components and designs, such as ceilings, walls, pillars, artwork, and more.
Meanwhile, the small size of the diodes, low heat, and unidirectional light projection mean that LEDs can support a broad range of unique lighting fixtures ranging from standard to artistic. The following case studies showcase some of the more unique lighting applications LEDCONN has worked with.
A client asked LEDCONN to provide lighting solutions for a series of highly customized panels. The unique pattern of this client’s panel design mimicked the layout of a major L.A. freeway using perforated metal and complex wiring management. This project required sophisticated design versatility and advanced custom wiring design and management to produce the proper effect—all within a short timeline. LEDCONN’s Customer Success and Engineering teams worked together to customize 90+ LUXFIT light panels of varying sizes and coordinate the complicated logistics for a project of this scale. Since some of the lights would be used both indoors and outdoors, the team factored in damp location treatment to protect against moisture, which added another layer of complexity to the project.
When working with creative architectural designs, some level of customization is required to achieve the desired outcome, which will vary per application. LEDCONN offers a variety of customizable products that facilitate stunning and original lighting setups. Some of these include:
A 29-panel museum display of Japanese American soldiers in World War II required a unique and creative lighting solution that honored the subject while maintaining the aesthetic of the museum building—a 100-year-old Buddhist temple in the Arts District of Los Angeles.
LEDCONN provided backlighting for each panel, several of which required multiple light panels used in conjunction. In spite of the challenges posed by the usage of multiple panels, LEDCONN’s experience with Optimized Dot Pattern Technology led to a successful installation while maintaining even illumination across the panels.
This project demonstrated LEDCONN’s capabilities to handle highly customized projects for unique commercial applications using an expansive line of LED lighting products. The extensive design abilities of LEDCONN enable the handling of projects for a wide variety of applications
Retail spaces often take advantage of LED lighting to optimize products and signage without exceeding their budget. Space on the retail shelf is at a premium, so it’s important to find lighting solutions that occupy a minimal area. LUXFIT and LUXFLEX solutions from LEDCONN are ideal for this purpose.
Lighting shelves in a retail space with LED lighting is simple because LED solutions:
Lighting every shelf and adding a significant amount of LED lighting to a retail space produces measurable results. Some applications have produced sales increases ranging from 2-12% in specific areas of the store. The overall effect of boosting LED lighting in a retail space increases the number of shoppers who enter the store or who gravitate toward the light-enhanced area.
Cosmetics brand Sephora main focus was to lower their carbon footprint. Consequently, an updated 12V POP display solution was needed to meet green energy requirements for a 2019 display program that had already been developed with 24V LED light engines. The challenge, however, was that this had to be done without significantly reducing the existing brightness in the displays.
This project came with a list of complex challenges:
The manufacturer of Sephora’s POP displays approached LEDCONN for assistance in developing a solution that could address these challenges and help Sephora meet their new sustainability goals. LEDCONN’s team immediately realized that swapping the 24V solution with a different 12V lighting product would be far too time-consuming and would threaten upcoming marketing initiatives. Instead, LEDCONN proposed reengineering the existing 24V LEDs into 12V versions, which would reduce voltage and wattage output.
The process required new PCB layouts, prototypes, and testing to ensure that brightness would not be affected. A solution was developed wherein electrical components were added to restrict energy consumption without impacting the functionality of the LUXLINE LED strips or LUXLINEAR light tubes.
Ultimately, the POP display manufacturer fulfilled Sephora’s new sustainability policies and the LEDCONN team demonstrated creativity and agility in developing a custom LED solution—from initial redesign through post-sales support—within a demanding timetable.
Due to its longer life span and greater efficiency, a broad range of industries and applications are making use of LED lighting to provide aesthetically pleasing, affordable lighting solutions in everything from full-sized buildings to small retail shelves. Featuring low-cost, high-impact installation, LED lights allow for greater flexibility and creativity in lighting design.
LEDCONN produces lighting solutions for a broad range of applications spanning sectors such as architectural, signage, retail, and more. Contact us to learn more about our LED lighting products or request a quote from one of our experts.
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