The Future of LEDs

The Future of LEDs

LEDs continue to get brighter, more efficient and cheaper. Some predict a 2 or 3 times improvement in efficiency and brightness before the decade is over with significant price decreases. Whether these predictions are true or not remains to be seen, but what is certain is that millions of dollars are being invested in this technology every year ensuring a bright future for LED technology.

The future of household lighting will soon be the wide spread adoption and use of white energy efficient LED light bulbs. Though the present market for finished white LED products is geared mainly towards enthusiasts and early-adopters, the efficiency and cost effectiveness of LED lighting systems will drive demand for more affordable LED lights. Opto-electronics is an exciting area and we predict, that in the near future, white LED lighting applications will be powerful and cheap enough to replace incandescent lighting for everyday use in our homes, in street lights, outdoor signs, and offices.
Advantages of LED Lights

The operational life of current white LED lamps is 100,000 hours. This is 11 years of continuous operation, or 22 years of 50% operation. The long operational life of an led lamp is a stark contrast to the average life of an incandescent bulb, which is approximately 5000 hours. If the lighting device needs to be embedded into a very inaccessible place, using LEDs would virtually eliminate the need for routine bulb replacement. 

There is no comparison between the cost of LED lights vs. traditional incandescent options. With incandescent bulbs, the true cost of the bulb is the cost of replacement bulbs and the labor expense and time needed to replace them. These are significant factors, especially where there are a large number of installed bulbs. For office buildings and skyscrapers, maintenance costs to replace bulbs can be enormous. These issues can all be virtually eliminated with the LED option. 

The key strength of LED lighting is reduced power consumption. When designed properly, an LED circuit will approach 80% efficiency, which means 80% of the electrical energy is converted to light energy. The remaining 20% is lost as heat energy. Compare that with incandescent bulbs which operate at about 20% efficiency (80% of the electrical energy is lost as heat). In real money terms, if a 100 Watt incandescent bulb is used for 1 year, with an electrical cost of 10 cents/kilowatt hour, $88 will be spent on electricity costs. Of the $88 expense, $70 will have been used to heat the room, not light the room. If an 80% efficient LED system had been used, the electricity cost would be $23 per year - there would be a cost savings of $65 on electricity during the year. Realistically the cost savings would be higher as most incandescent light bulbs blow out within a year and require replacements whereas LED light bulbs can be used easily for a decade without burning out. 

Our white LED lights currently come in packages which contain 36 or 48 LED lamps and can be adapted for use with any power supply or casing. Our clusters allow for conversion to operate from all common caving batteries, e.g. FX5/Kirby pack down to two AA cells, in case portability is needed. We have produced a seven-LED cluster light source as an alternative to low wattage light bulbs and a possible portable light source. 

The main limitation to the adoption of white LED lighting as a lighting standard is the current high cost of led bulbs. Although the cost keeps going down, LED light bulbs are still expensive. A single AC bulb (17 LED), replacing a 25 watt incandescent, will cost about $40. Although LED's are expensive, the cost is recouped over time and in energy cost savings. Factor in that it is significantly cheaper to maintain led lights, the best value comes from commercial use where maintenance and replacement costs are expensive. Traffic lights and outdoor signs, for example, are being switched over to LED's in many cities. Smaller arrays, such as those in flashlights, headlamps and small task lights are great for specialty and outdoor use. LED based automotive headlights are current being used in high end luxury cars.

It will be interesting to see what developments are coming for more residential applications of LED lights. LED lighting technology has been researched and developed for the past two decades and we are beginning to see practical applications from this work. There is already wide spread use of LED traffic signs and LED headlights where a premium is placed on a reliable light source that is cheaper and less labor intensive to maintain. We in the industry are certain that tomorrows LED lights will last longer and consume even less power than todays energy efficient led light bulbs. LED lighting will be used to replace virtually every type of light, bulb, and lamp that is currently in use. 

INTRODUCTION TO THREE TYPES OF LIGHTING

INTRODUCTION TO THREE TYPES OF LIGHTING

There are three basic types of lighting: ambient, accent, and task. While it's not required that every space have all three types present, the best lit rooms and spaces will. The best designs will integrate layers of light to create moods and draw the eye to key points of interest. It’s not just recessed cans, it’s not just table lamps, it’s not just accent lighting; it’s the integration of these sources to create a balanced design.

Note that often decorative lighting is considered a 4th type of lighting. Personally, I don't consider lighting that is purely decorative to be part of a lighting scheme. A purely decorative source (that doesn't produce ambient light) is really a piece of art.

CREATING AMBIENT LIGHT

Sometimes referred to as "general lighting," this is the primary lighting element of the room. Ambient lighting will determine the look and feel of the space; think of it as your overall illumination, although that doesn't mean you need to light every corner of the room. Ambient light is the primary lighting choice, and all others fall in around that.

Ambient lighting is commonly created using:

Reflected Light
Recessed Downlights
Concept section - recessed down light.

The recessed downlight (commonly referred to as a high hat) became popular in the 1980s and remains a staple of interior design. Recessed into the ceiling, they create a hole flush with the ceiling plane from which light pours downward. Recessed downlights are capable of accepting compact fluorescent and halogen A-lamps, as well as a wide variety of halogen and LED point sources. CFL and Halogen A-lamps in recessed downlights are truly down lights. Point sources in recessed cans can be aimed (more on that soon).

Since recessed downlights are installed in your ceiling, there are some things to consider (these will apply to their adjustable cousins as well). In the U.S., all electrical connections must be protected within a junction box. So recessed down lights have some version of a housing, and it is within that housing that the electrician will make their wiring connections. Whether you’re building the room as new construction or a renovation, the space between your ceiling and the structure above and whether the ceiling is insulated will all determine what kind of housing is required.

The last thing to consider is what the fixture will look like in your ceiling and how easy it will be to change light bulbs when the time comes. Manufactures have come up with a wide variety of ways to finish the hole created in the ceiling so that the fixture becomes a true architectural element. Usually, these treatments are called trims. A trim is a plate (options include square, round, overlapping the ceiling, flush to the ceiling, deep regress, shallow regress, lensed, all in a multitude of colors, etc.) that will be removed to change a light bulb. It’s important to understand how trims are installed and removed, because these fixtures will have to be maintained over time, even if it’s just changing light bulbs.

Recessed downlights are great for providing illumination, but be careful: The tendency with these is to use too many and over-light the room. Downlight isn't the most complimentary angle to light people or objects; good for general ambiance, yes, but don't rely too heavily on this concept.


Table and Floor Lamps

No surprise here: Table and floor lamps have been a staple since the kerosene era. Most older table and floor lamps are based around incandescent bulbs (refer back to Part I for the various replacements to the A-lamp including CFL, LED and halogen). People often ask me if there's a problem only lighting a room with table and floor lamps, and there isn't. It's just important to understand that table and floor lamps offer only ambient light. Usually, a glow cast in all directions all the time; if that's the effect you want, then that's great. The right lamps with the right light source can make a room magical. At the same time, table and floor lamps are often a fallback when other ideas seem too daunting. Don't fall into that trap.

Cove Lighting

One of the most underused lighting concepts in residential lighting is the cove light. Ambient cove lighting can provide a spectacular indirect light source for your room. If the architecture supports it,
think about coves as a way to bounce light off your ceiling, or wash light down your walls. Cove lighting can be achieved with linear and compact fluorescent, halogen strips, and increasingly with LEDS. Cove lighting is especially great for creating luminous surfaces, like walls in a bathroom or vaulted ceilings in an older home. Make sure you understand the design of cove lighting so you can ensure proper maintenance.

Surface Mounted Decorative Fixtures
These are fixtures mounted tight to walls and ceilings and are meant to be viewed. Surface mounted fixtures can be amazing when they fit with the decor and provide the desired lighting effect. Here's my cautionary note with surface mounted fixtures: Big box stores that shall remain unnamed have pushed lots of sub-par fixtures into the market. Don't get me wrong; you can find a decent fixture at your local big box retailer, but if you're looking for great lighting, do your research.

There are amazing fixtures from all over the country that are works of art in and of themselves and will dramatically improve the execution of your design. Look at photos online and go to shops if you can, because finding the right fixture can change everything.

Chandeliers and Wall Sconces

The mother of all decorative fixtures, a chandelier can be utterly spectacular. When the word is uttered,
most people think of a crystal piece with dozens of tiny lamps. I invite you to expand your concept of what a chandelier is to modern forms and singular light sources. I think of a chandelier as any hanging light source that is some height below the ceiling. Like other decorative sources, expand your thinking from what's available at the local big box store; I've seen chandeliers made of used spoons, hubcaps, and painted glass. Chandeliers can be totally expressive pieces of art as well as good ambient light sources.

Wall sconces are decorative pieces mounted at some distance off the wall. There are as many kinds of sconces as there are kinds of taste. When walls themselves become luminous,  good things can happen. Good sconces, like table and floor lamps provide ambient light from a relatively low angle. This soft glow creates complimentary shadows on the faces of people and furniture. Light from lower
angles (though not uplight from the floor) will also be perceived as warmer and more inviting.

Basic Types Of Lighting

 Basic Types Of Lighting

Ambient lighting provides an area with overall
illumination. Also known as general lighting, it radiates a comfortable level of brightness without glare and allows you to see and walk about safely. In some spaces such as laundry rooms, the ambient lighting also serves as the primary source of task lighting.

It can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures, recessed or track lights and with lanterns mounted on the outside of the home. Having a central source of ambient light in all rooms is fundamental to a good lighting plan.

Task lighting helps you perform specific tasks, such as reading, grooming, preparing and cooking food, doing homework, working on hobbies,

playing games and balancing your check-book. It can be provided by recessed and track lighting, pendant lighting and under-cabinet lighting, as well as by portable floor and desk lamps.

Task lighting should be free of distracting glare and shadows and should be bright enough to prevent eye strain.

Accent lighting adds drama to a room by creating visual interest. As part of an interior design scheme, it is used to draw the eye to houseplants, paintings, sculptures and other prized possessions. It can also be used to highlight the texture of a brick or stone wall, window treatments or outdoor landscaping.

To be effective, accent lighting requires as least three times as much light on the focal point as the general lighting surrounding it.

Accent lighting is usually provided by recessed and track lighting or wall-mounted picture lights.