Six Benefits of LED Lighting

Contributed by Lisa Wetherell  

Light is important for creating that warm feeling you get when you step into a building or home. It’s also important for boosting productivity and keeping everyone safe and happy. Not to mention, lights are a big part of the architectural creation and can make a huge difference when used right.
 
In fact, there is an entire niche dedicated to how we use light to enhance spaces, and it’s called architectural lighting design. Specialists in this niche can tell you that there are different categories of lighting and that the color, type, and even light source are of tremendous importance.

However, even though there are plenty of options available, more and more architects and interior designers lean towards LEDs.  Have you wondered why?
 
If you have, below you can get the answer and learn why LEDs are indeed the best artificial light sources one could use in their projects.

Energy Efficiency
While all spaces need artificial light, we must consider the level of energy consumption. This becomes even more important when we’re talking about commercial and office spaces, where the amount of energy consumed by the lighting system is significant.
 
LED lights are among the most energy efficient artificial sources because they use 80% of the energy to create visible light and only lose 20% as heat. When you compare this with incandescent lights, where 90% of energy is wasted through heat, you can see why so many architects and designers choose this option.
 
Further, LEDs don’t break easily because they don’t contain glass and they don’t need a lot of energy to create light. Moreover, LEDs come in a wide range of shapes and fixtures, and they can be recycled (which is no true about incandescent lights)!

Long Life
One of the reasons why LEDs are favorite in commercial and architectural application is their long life. LED lights have an expected lifetime of up to 50,000 hours and they don’t break if left on for a long time (since there is no heat and glass to deteriorate). According to specialists, if left on 8 hours a day, seven days a week, it will take about 10 years for an LED light bulb to burn out.
 
LED lights are expected to last 25 times longer than halogens and incandescent lights, which is why they are used for difficult to reach places or commercial settings where lights need to on at all times.

Versatility in Design
Lighting has powerful functional importance, but we can’t ignore its use in design either! Architects and interior designers everywhere know that the right light can enhance the appearance and feel of a space, so it’s important to make the right choice.
 
To create the right design, you also need elegant fixtures that fit well with other elements. Luckily, LED lights are extremely versatile and can be found in a wide range of shapes and sizes. This makes them easy to integrate into all sorts of fixtures, from can lights to spotlights, to luminaries.

Besides this, LEDs can be joined together and then controlled separately, which further increases their versatility. When you use LEDs, you have full control over how the space will look, from a light point of view.

Overall Cost Savings
The LED technology is not only energy efficient, but it’s also cost effective since it doesn’t need a lot of power to create visible light. Due to their long life, small heat production levels, and virtually no need for maintenance, these fixtures are fantastic for anyone who is looking to save money!

Environmentally-Friendly
While none of the lights used today are harmful towards human health while in use, they become a threat for the environment if they’re not properly disposed of.  For instance, the fluorescent strip lights still used in some office spaces contain mercury. This is why the disposal must be done by a certified waste carrier and it is illegal to dispose of them the standard way.
 
As a result, companies need to invest more money in these lights, which ends up creating quite a hefty bill for energy. 

Better Light Distribution
Standard lighting systems spread the same light intensity all around, trying to cover as much space as possible. However, this means they’ll disperse light even in areas where it’s not necessary such as the nearby wall or the ceiling.
 
While it is recommended to use ambient lights, to create an overall positive atmosphere, commercial and architectural applications also need focused light, that can be easily directed towards specific areas.
 
In these cases, LEDs are the best option because they focus light in one direction and don’t waste any energy by spreading light around. As a result, you don’t need many LED light bulbs to create the needed level of brightness.

Wrap Up
At the end of the day, it’s rather clear why so many companies and commercial spaces favor LEDs over standard lights. They offer a flexible, durable, low cost, and efficient solution to all sorts of lighting applications, which proves this is the most advanced lighting technology available today. Furthermore, this type of versatile lighting is becoming increasingly more popular among homeowners, for the exact same reasons.

(Editor's Note: Lisa Wetherell runs the blog Lighting House - where she writes about her knowledge gained from 10 years of industry experience in the lighting and interior design field. To learn more about how lighting can improve your space, you can follow her blog.