New lighting technology improved with cheaper manufacturing

New research at Rutgers University has shown how to slash the cost of highly efficient light emitting diodes (#LED) and significantly reduce lighting’s energy requirements. The energy savings, however, will likely be eroded as people find new uses for the inexpensive lights.

LED lights use just 10 percent of the energy of incandescent lights and less than half the energy of today’s compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs.  An LED that uses 6 watts of electricity, for example, produces the same amount of light as a 14-watt CFL bulb or a 60-watt incandescent bulb.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, electricity used for artificial lighting in the U.S. could be cut nearly in half by 2030 through the adoption of high efficiency LEDs.  

The lights are commercially available today but haven’t been widely adopted because they are more expensive than either CFLs or incandescents. The high cost of LEDs is due in part to their reliance on rare earth elements for their phosphors, materials that shift the blue light emitted by most LEDs into a broad spectrum of white light.

A new class of phosphors made from earth-abundant materials could slash the cost of LEDs by as much as 90 percent according to their developers.

The work has been driven by a dramatic increase in the cost of rare earth elements -- by as much as 1600 percent over the past decade -- due to increased demand and decreased exportation of the materials from China, which has historically produced more than 90 percent of the world’s rare earth elements.

A 2010 study looked at lighting use around the world for the past 300 years as lighting technology improved from whale oil lamps to gas and kerosene lamps to electric incandescent bulbs. The study, conducted by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico found a direct relationship between decreased cost and increased consumption.

Looking at the current transition from incandescent lights to CFLs and ultimately LEDs, the authors concluded "there is a massive potential for growth in the consumption of light if new lighting technologies are developed with higher luminous efficacies and lower cost of light."

Aztec Electrical has helped businesses and home owners reduce their lighting expenses. Call our office today to learn more about how you can use new lighting technology to your advantage.

Research: dimmable lights, done correctly, save energy

Call Aztec Electrical today at (541) 245-8560 to learn how our services can assist your project with new lighting technology. 

We can assist you with understanding the available rebates and incentives to improve your lighting project ROI.

Our #electrical and #lightingdesign services include #ledlighting.

Recent studies estimate more than 800 million recessed downlights are in operation in the United States, split nearly equally between residential and commercial applications, with about 83% still using incandescent lamps. Inexpensive compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) downlights are commercially available, but most of these units are not dimmable, which is a desired attribute for many downlight applications. Therefore, energysaving CFLs often are overlooked in lieu of the functionality of incandescents.

Bidwell Mansion Visitor Center,
Chico, CA

Installation of LED downlights in retrofit and new construction situations is almost identical to typical incandescent or CFL recessed downlights. The exception is that many LED downlight housings can be in direct contact with insulation. Replacement scenarios are generally one-to-one in retrofit applications. Equipment costs range from $100 to $300 depending on the manufacturer and distributor, but costs may  be offset by maintenance savings and utility rebates. 


BENEFITS:

• The HALO LED recessed downlight is the first ENERGY STAR-rated LED downlight and exceeds the high efficacy requirements set by energy regulations
• High color rendering and warm white color temperature: 80CRI at 3045K
• Delivers light equivalent to many standard incandescent sources used in recessed downlight applications
• Dimmable to 15% of total light output with standard AC incandescent dimmers, 5% with low-end trim adjustment

Article Source: UC Davis

New Lighting Technology: What Are Benefits To Small Business?

The owner of Mishka’s café, had two  goals for the recent lighting upgrade in his café: create a cozy, inviting  atmosphere for customers and save energy. In the main seating area  alone he was able to cut his lighting energy use 85% by upgrading to LED lighting.

Throughout the rest of the café, energy consumption for lighting  has been cut in half, reducing Mishka’s annual energy use by over 10,000 kWh and saving nearly $2,000 every year in energy  costs. The lighting upgrade will have paid for itself after just eight  months, and because LEDs last up to fifty times longer than older light sources, the lighting retrofit is producing others savings too.

“It’s not just the cost of buying the light bulb, but needing to drive to the store, spending time to install it, the inconvenience to customers...

Time and maintenance savings are vastly undervalued,” says the cafe owner.  LED lamps can last more than 50,000 hours, meaning there is less time changing lamps and more time focusing on the customers. It also means less waste sent to the landfill every year.

Call Aztec Electrical today at (541) 245-8560 to learn how our services can assist your project with new lighting technology. We can assist you with understanding the available rebates and incentives to improve your ROI.

#electrical  #lightingdesign  #ledlighting

New lighting technologies

In 2007, Congress passed the bi-partisan Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which included higher efficiency standards for light bulbs.

The goal was to take advantage of new lighting technologies to decrease consumer bills while increasing energy security and resilience. New lighting technologies, such as LED and compact fluorescent light bulbs, last longer and use less energy than the traditional incandescent bulbs that previously dominated the market.

Several new lighting technologies—including halogen incandescent, compact fluorescent and LED lighting—currently provide energy savings of up to 75 percent compared to traditional incandescent lighting bulbs.

Traditional Incandescent Lighting

Traditional bulbs produce light by using electric current to heat a wire filament until it starts to glow—90 percent of the energy used by the bulb is lost as heat, making them very inefficient.

Energy- Saving Incandescent Lighting

Energy-saving incandescent bulbs increase bulb efficiency by using halogen gas in the bulb. By law, these new bulbs must use at least 27 percent less energy and will last up to three times longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

CFLs are simply compact versions of the fluorescent lighting commonly founding household garages and commercial warehouses. CFLs use less electricity to produce light than traditional incandescent lighting, resulting in a 75 percent total energy savings. CFLS can also last up to ten times longer than traditional light bulbs, lowering replacement costs.

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

LEDs are a type of solid-state lighting that use semiconductors to convert electricity into light. Though LEDs have traditionally been used for traffic lights and car-indicator lights, this highly efficient technology has recently been adapted for use in a variety of other technologies.The most efficient LEDs use only 20–25 percent of the energy of traditional light bulbs and can last more than 20 years. Though this technology is not yet available for every lighting need, LEDs are rapidly evolving and are expected to represent 25-35 percent of the lighting market by 2025. Currently, they can be used to replace 40W, 60W and 75W traditional incandescent bulbs, reflector bulbs often used in recessed fixtures and small track lights, including holiday lights.They are also becoming more popular as industrial lighting.  Because LED lights last so much longer than traditional lighting options, they reduce not only the cost and waste associated with traditional bulbs, but can eliminate the labor costs associated with replacing traditional bulbs in difficult to reach areas, such as public streetlights, traffic signals and commercial overhead lighting.

Call Aztec Electrical today at (541) 245-8560 to learn how our services can assist your project and to discover how rebates and incentives can improve your ROI.

Adapted from material at the National Conference of State Legislatures web site.

#electrician #lightingdesign