LEDs: Up, Up and Away! at ElementalLED - LED Lights & Lighting Blog

If anybody out there still questions the technology behind LEDs, here’s yet another reason to stop doubting. LEDs are joining the ranks of some of the most sophisticated technological innovations known to man; we’re talking man-on-the-moon and ice-on-mars stuff. That’s right; LEDs are going to outer space. NASA has agreed to a two-year commitment with Lighting Science (an LED manufacturer) to develop a “high illumination and good color rendering LED light fixture for space exploration,” according to a Lighting Science Corporation press release.

It’s only fitting then that LEDs are the chosen light source to accompany man into the ethers. After all, their long lasting, high quality and durable attributes make them perfect for space travel. LEDs can withstand extremes of both high and low temperatures, and their smooth dimming and color-changing capabilities make them easily adaptable to the ever-changing conditions of space. The NASA-grade LED prototype will be developed to meet standards for space travel in such areas as “control, vibration, off-gassing, electromagnetic interference and other spacecraft issues.” One of NASA’s goals for the LED fixture is that it help them learn how to aid astronauts in establishing and maintaining healthy sleep patterns in space, a notoriously difficult task. Fred Maxik of Lighting Science says, “We hope to not only improve circadian rhythm management for our astronauts but, also to learn something that will help the millions of people who struggle with these issues here on Earth.”

via elementalled.com

You don't have to journey into the unknown with NASA to benefit from LED Lighting. A significant amount of electricity can be saved by utilising LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lighting may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years.

Posted via web from Global Warming Information Articles and News

LED lighting is (almost) there | ECO BROOKLYN INC. - Brooklyn ...

LED lighting is (almost) there

Posted by Gennaro Brooks-Church

November 14, 2009

Here is an interesting cost comparison between LED, CFL and incandescent. I have not checked the numbers but they seem pretty accurate. They clearly show that over the life of the bulb it makes a lot of sense to buy LED.

What the numbers do not show are the quality. I’ve tried a lot of the LEDs on the market and they still lack the quality of an incandescent. One of my colleagues says he saw a blind test where people preferred CFL lighting over incandescent and I can understand that. Some of the CFL’s available now are really great.

But the LEDs I’ve tested still have issues. The multi diode with refractory lense ones are the best but they still feel very white “spotlight”. They are getting damn close, though. And for an increasing number of home applications they are by far the best choice.

Sort of on a tangent, one of the clear benefits of using good LEDs in a Brooklyn brownstone that has old electrical wiring is that they decrease the electrical load on the house. This means less runs down to the basement to switch the circuit breaker back on!

When Eco Brooklyn does a green renovation on a Brooklyn brownstone one of the first things we do is address the electrical load on the house. Energy star appliances, timers, dimmers, LEDs or CFLs all reduce the load directly. Insulation, passive solar heating, and good air design reduce the load indirectly since you don’t need the electric heater or air conditioner as much.

Anyway, below is a great breakdown of costs from EarthEasy.com

Cost Comparison between LEDs, CFLs and Incandescent light bulbs

	LED	CFL	Incandescent
Light bulb projected lifespan	50,000 hours	10,000 hours	1,200 hours
Watts per bulb (equiv. 60 watts)	6	14	60
Cost per bulb	$35.95	$3.95	$1.25
KWh of electricity used over 50,000 hours	300	700	3000
Cost of electricity (@ 0.20per KWh)	$60	$140	$600
Bulbs needed for 50k hours of use	1	5	42
Equivalent 50k hours bulb expense	$35.95	$19.75	$52.50
Total cost for 50k hours	$95.95	$159.75	$652.50

Energy Savings over 50,000 hours, assuming 25 bulbs per household:

Total cost for 30 bulbs	$2398.75	$3993.75	$16,312.50
Savings to household by switching from incandescents	$13,913.75	$12,318.75	0

“LED light bulbs will eventually be what we use to replace incandescent bulbs – CFLs are a temporary solution to energy-efficient lighting. The reason LEDs have not yet displaced CFLs from the market are twofold: the first generation LED bulbs had a narrow and focused light beam, and the cost of the LED bulbs was too high.

Recent developments in LED technology, however, have been addressing these issues. LEDs have been ‘clustered’ to provide more light, and mounted within diffuser lenses which spread the light across a wider area. And advancements in manufacturing technology have driven the prices down to a level where LED bulbs are more cost-effective than CFLs or incandescent bulbs. This trend is continuing, with LED bulbs being designed for more applications while the prices are going down over time.

The ’sticker shock’ of the new LEDs remains a deterrent to their widespread acceptance by consumers. The following comparison charts illustrate the value of the latest LED bulbs when compared with CFLs and incandescents for overall efficiency as well as cost-effectiveness.”

Similar Posts:

• LED Technology for the Next Generation
• Eco Brooklyn is a Licensed Real Estate Broker

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via ecobrooklyn.com

This article provides further evidence showing how a significant amount of electricity can be saved by utilising LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lighting may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years. You should also consider the government incentives that are now available to assist with these investment costs - you could be cash flow positive fro the day your new lights are switched on.

Posted via web from Global Warming Information Articles and News

Coffee chain adopts LED lighting

A certain eco-conscious purveyor of roasted beans (rhymes with dar-nucks) has announced plans to adopt solid state lighting in more than 8,000 stores by the end of next year. Utilizing GE lighting solutions, Starbucks has already “converted” more than 1,000 U.S. locations, with plans to address the international market in March 2010.

According to Michael Petras, president and CEO of GE Consumer & Industrial’s lighting and electrical business, “Starbucks (sic) aggressive moves on the conservation front will have far-reaching environmental and financial impacts. Other GE customers will benefit from these achievements.”

Owing to the LED conversion, Starbucks projects a 7% worldwide reduction in energy use. Ultimately, the company is aiming for a 25% reduction by the end of 2010.

via ecnmag.com

Just like Starbucks, every business and individual can play their part in the fight against climate change. A significant amount of electricity can be saved by utilising LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lighting may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years. Government funding initiatives are now available that can enable electricity cost reductions on implementation of the low energy lights.

Posted via web from Global Warming Information Articles and News

Wal-Mart Adding LED Lights to 650 Stores · Environmental Leader · Green Business, Sustainable Business, and Green Strategy News for Corporate Sustainability

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to use LED lights inside 650 new and renovated stores.

Cree Inc. has been selected to handle the installation, which involves replacing ceramic metal halide in the produce and electronics department, according to a press release.

Wal-Mart is going with Cree’s LRP-38, a PAR38 style LED lamp, which is designed to last 50,000 hours and consume 82 percent less energy than the 70-watt ceramic metal halide bulbs it replaces.

The lighting retrofit comes as part of Wal-Mart’s Project Impact, which will see through a remodeling and repositioning of many locations. Wal-Mart already has remodeled about 30 percent of U.S. stores and plans to have remodeled or built out 70 percent of its stores to the new standard by 2012.

Wal-Mart is looking to a host of options as it seeks to reduce energy use.

Wal-Mart’s goal to double the amount of solar power it uses over the next 18 months. In April, Wal-Mart installed solar at 18 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores, along with two warehouses in California and Hawaii. It also has rooftop installations underway at 10 to 20 stores and distribution centers in California.

The company also has added solar to facilities in Puerto Rico.

via environmentalleader.com

Everyone can emulate Wal-Mart in this way. A substantial amount of electricity can be saved by implementing LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lighting may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years.

Posted via web from globalwarminginformation's posterous

Cree Demonstrates Record-Breaking LED Light Bulb

DURHAM, N.C., OCTOBER 29, 2009 — Today, at the annual Cree (Nasdaq: CREE) shareholder meeting, Cree Chairman and CEO Chuck Swoboda demonstrated an A-lamp LED light bulb with the highest lumen output and efficacy reported in the industry. The bulb produces 969 lumens at an impressive 102 lumens per watt, which is the light output equivalent to a 65-watt incandescent bulb, yet it uses only 9.5 watts.

The demonstration A-19-style bulb features the latest Cree production XLamp® XP-G LEDs and TrueWhite Technology, a patented method of delivering warm-white light with superior color rendering and efficiency. It delivers a 2800 K warm-white light with a 91 CRI. All data was verified by third-party testing under steady-state operating conditions.

“We are pushing the industry by demonstrating what’s possible,” said Swoboda. “With every improvement in LED components, new applications become achievable. We are excited to show the world not only what can be done, but what they should expect in an LED light bulb.”

via cree.com

A significant amount of electricity can be saved by utilising LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lights may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years.

Posted via web from globalwarminginformation's posterous

Business Tax Incentives Shine For LED Lighting | GreenandSave.com | Green News, Tips, and Services for saving money, energy and the planet.

New technologies are making it possible for commercial businesses to reduce energy consumption and lessen their environmental footprint. Many U.S. companies are taking advantage of tax incentives for projects that have major impact on energy reduction such as LED lighting retrofits, which can cut electricity costs by 80 percent.

The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 offers tax incentives to energy-efficient commercial buildings. Any building that can cut its lighting power density by 25-50 percent is eligible to receive a tax reduction of 60 cents per square foot.

By converting to LED bulbs, companies can reduce their light electric output by 80 percent. Not only do LED users see immediate reductions in their energy bills, they also receive government endorsed tax incentives for making their buildings more energy efficient.

The change to LED lighting also eases buildings’ impact on the environment. Aside from reducing the amount of electricity used, updating bulbs has a not so obvious impact on CO2 emissions. Over 65 percent of American electricity is produced from burning coal. It is estimated that for every $1 of electricity you save, you reduce carbon discharge by 8 pounds.

An LED lighting retrofit and financing provider in the Philadelphia area has taken this new technology a step further and created a lending program for commercial businesses looking to make the switch. LED Saving Solutions has a comprehensive lending program that allows companies to reap the benefits of this new lighting technology without ever seeing an initial capital outlay or an increase in their net operating cost. The program is cash flow positive from the very first month.

“We have recently established some ground-breaking international production and financing relationships that reduce up-front costs to $0 for property owners,” says Charlie Szoradi, president of LED Saving Solutions. “We literally take all of the risk of replacing the bulbs, and we only get paid on a portion of the savings results each month.”

Case studies help to illustrate the value. A major east coast hotel with significant convention and meeting rooms had a run rate of just over 5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year for its lighting. The annualized lighting cost for 2009 is $492,000 and with deregulation in 2010 the cost could increase to over $690,000. With the new LED lighting retrofit, the electricity consumption will drop to just over 665,000 kWh. The cost for 2010 will be just under $90,000. That is an annual savings of $600,000. For a million square feet, the $.60 per square feet tax deduction adds up to another $600,000. In a 33 percent tax bracket, the net to bottom line savings are $200,000.

Since the Led Saving Solutions finance team is structuring the loan, the hotel will have a zero up-front expense and they will put money in their pocket every month for years to come and get a great bonus at tax time.

Users of LED lighting simultaneously increase their financial savings and decrease negative impact on the environment. The benefits are obvious, and it is only a matter of time before people realize the significance of that light above their head.

via greenandsave.com

A significant amount of electricity can be saved by utilising LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lights may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years. Companies who take advantage of the tax incentives will recover their investment in an even shorter time period.

Posted via web from globalwarminginformation's posterous

LEED Grocery Store Incorporates LED Lighting | GreenandSave.com | Green News, Tips, and Services for saving money, energy and the planet.

A California grocery store was recently built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards, incorporating energy and water reduction measures, efficient lighting and recycled materials.

The Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market in Cathedral City, Calif., just opened the store’s first certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The construction used 90 percent recycled steel and typically Fresh & Easy’s stores incorporate solar tracking skylights, automatically dimming lights, and LED lighting.

Fresh & Easy’s stores are typically 10,000 square feet, smaller than the typical supermarket, and use 30 percent less energy. Fresh & Easy recycles or reuses all of its shipping and display materials and uses environmentally-friendly trailers to transport food.

Fresh & Easy currently has 127 stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, with 71 stores in Southern California. The company is a pilot member of the LEED Volume Certification Program and has invested in a 500,000 sq ft solar roof installation on its distribution center in Riverside, Calif.

via greenandsave.com

Being Green is good for Business.

Every business and individual can play their part in the fight against climate change. A significant amount of electricity can be saved by utilising LED Lights in place of your existing lighting technology. LED Lighting may require a more substantial investment initially, but with many years of maintenance free operation and low electricity usage, pay back can usually be achieved within 2 years.

Posted via web from globalwarminginformation's posterous