LED Lighting Options
LED lighting is the latest bright idea in your local home improvement store. LED light manufacturers tout advantages like energy efficiency and environmentally responsible engineering. A few even insist that their product will last a lifetime.
If you’re thinking, “So what’s the catch?” then good for you. As with most new technologies, LED fixtures have some advantages and a few weaknesses, and an educated consumer should understand each product’s capabilities before she invests in any new lighting fixtures.
Advantages of LED Lights
Bruce Shaw manages the Hudnut Company of Portland, OR, and has been working with LED light products for more than five years. Bruce has a practical appreciation of what these products can and cannot do, and he’s sharing some of his expertise with us.
The first and most obvious point is that he likes his product. “LED lights are a long lasting, low power, no-mercury lighting product. They also withstand cold and vibration better than any other light source, making it a very good choice for outdoor locations.”
Hudnut began using LED bulbs as a practical option for pole lighting in the rural areas of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. This region’s violently fluctuating temperatures and incessant winds wreak havoc with standard pole light fixtures. The harsh climate led to frequent repairs in that sparsely populated area, where 200 mile service calls were not uncommon.
LED lighting products turned out to be a great solution for those conditions. The fixtures can withstand temperatures between -40F and 180F, and they put up with wind and other vibrations nicely. These traits extend the bulb life and decrease maintenance costs. In addition to the lower maintenance costs, many of Hudnut’s customers appreciate the lower energy bills and easier disposal for LED bulbs. Unlike their CFL or regular fluorescent counterparts, LED bulbs contain no mercury, so there are no special disposal concerns.
Limitations of LED Lights
So is there anything not to like about LED fixtures? Actually, there are a few limitations, and they become apparent as we move indoors. Because LED lights offer focused beams instead of diffused light, they are not effective for ambient lighting. Consequently, they do not perform well in ceiling fixtures or porch lights. They do, however, serve wonderfully as task or accent lights.
While the energy-savings are a given with any LED product, consumers should be aware that not every fixture will light up their world eternally. “As with all emerging technologies, there are always some who will rush to market with a substandard product, while making exaggerated performance claims” says Bruce.
Hudnut has a comprehensive vetting process for products in their catalog, but if you are cruising the big-box stores for your new lighting, read the packages carefully and cynically. Looking for the Energy Star logo when you shop will at least help you separate the good products from ones which may not meet all the manufacturer’s claims.
Bruce also has some sound advice about purchasing LED lights. “Far too many consumers use cost as a determining factor. Many low cost products are not worth their apparent low price,” he says. The currently high price of LED light fixtures is due to their heat management system. Without proper heat dispersal, the LED emitter won’t last as long, which means that your perceived savings will end up going toward replacement costs.
Investing in LED Lights
Using an LED bulb for a ceiling fixture or table lamp should save you money, though possibly at the expense of the ambient light level in the room. If you need energy-efficient task lighting or outdoor lighting, though, LED fixtures can be a sensible investment. As you would with any other purchase, read the packaging carefully so that you know what you are getting.
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