LED Lighting Offers Creativity, Energy Convervation
Posted on August 7, 2009
Filed Under LED Lighting | Leave a Comment
LED lighting (Lighting Emitted Diodes) is a new trend in lighting technology (introduced in the 1990s)and is being used in many creative ways in the landscape. LED lighting has a lot of advantages over halogen and incandescent lamps in that they are more durable (they are not affected by vibration, which is great for applications like cars and motorcycles) thus always giving off a steady stream of light. Also, they can last up to 200,000 hours before replacement is required and they use much less power than traditional lighting, although some will need to be replaced after 50,000 hours. On average, LEDs will use about 80% less energy saving customers money throughout the year and conserving lots of energy. There are quite a few models out there that operate on solar power which can save even more money for the consumer in the long run. When the light does begin to burn out, it will slowly lose power and light as opposed to incondescent lights which just “burn out”.
One of the great benefits of LED landscape lighting is that they come in a range of colors and you can really get creative with them. Think about how you could use blue LEDs to highlight a portion of your garden that has Blue Salvia or a cascading fountain . Or how a red LED could be used to do the same with mass plantings of Red Petunias or Geraniums. The possibilities are endless! Here are some great examples of LED lighting.
There are a few disadvantages that you should consider when thinking about LED lighting. If you live in the northern states, snow accumulation on the lights can be a problem since they do not produce much heat at all. They run at about 60 degrees celsius, which is great in most circumstances, but freezing and bursting can be an issue for those in cold climates. Also, LEDs don’t produce quite as much light as halogens and incandescents so keep that in mind when designing your system. You may want to use a mixture of both in your landscape to adequately light your space.
Here is some more great information on outdoor LED lighting.
Comments
Leave a Reply
