An LED (or Light Emitting Diode) is a semi-conductor device which emits light.
The global energy crisis has led to extensive research to reduce energy consumption.
The discovery of LED lighting has served to offer the utmost efficiency at minimal consumption levels, and promises to be the future replacement for all types of lighting.
The great benefits it offers are:
Low electrical consumption. The saving in electricity consumed ranges from 70% to 95%, depending on the lighting system it is compared with.
Long life. LEDs have a lifespan of more than 70,000 hours. In a home, this could mean replacing a lightbulb every 50 years. Colour. LED lighting offers 16 million colours.
LED lighting can be installed using a much thinner cable than normal. Another benefit is that it does not wear out the electric cable, unlike other technologies.
Cold light. An incandescent or energy-saving bulb uses just 10% of each watt to produce light; the rest goes in heat, while LED lighting uses 90% to illuminate and just 10% in heat. LED lights do not heat up, unlike others. The direct benefits of this: energy is not wasted as heat, the areas being lit do not heat up (which can save on air conditioning and generate a cooler atmosphere), while also eliminating the risk of contact burns.
Less light wasted. LED lighting does not generate any reflective losses: all other lighting systems need reflectors to concentrate the light where we want it, which reduces efficacy by 60%, whereas LEDs do not need such systems and the light can be directed at the area to be eliminated with 90% efficiency. Design. Given the durability, colour and other benefits offered, these lights allow for a greater variety of designs and forms of installation.
High-powered LEDs. They can last for up to 100,000 hours, as they do not have any filaments, which means they do not burn out like traditional light bulbs do. These are solid devices and are extremely impact-resistant. Recyclable. The materials used to make LED bulbs are solid state, unlike others, which means that LEDs are recyclable, with obvious environmental benefits.
Ultraviolet LED light also has the potential to revolutionise water treatment, as the deep ultraviolet emitted by the LED kills bacteria and viruses without the need for chemicals. And given their long life and size, they are a clearly superior option.
Renewable energy has the disadvantage that output is low-level and costly, and the benefit of LED technology is that because of the low consumption level it works well with this type of renewable generation.
