The Latest LED Lighting Technologies and Trends
LED or light-emitting diode in technical terms is a two-lead semiconductor based on a “solid-state lighting” technology, or SSL. In other words, instead of emitting light from a vacuum or gas like traditional fluorescent or incandescent bulbs, this “solid-state lighting” emits light from the semiconductor.
Many people don’t realize that LED light technology has been around for many years, and is now becoming increasingly popular and cost effective in residential applications like digital clocks, flashlights and light bulbs, and due to significant improvements in the technology, LED is now a great choice for many commercial applications.
In the 1960’s, the earliest LEDs emitted low-intensity infra-red light, which are still frequently used as transmitting elements in remote control circuits for example. Recent developments in LED technology allow them to be used in environmental lighting. Some of the advantages over other light sources are lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, smaller size, and faster switching. These are the main reasons why more and more people decide to switch to this type of lighting technology.
Lumax Lighting LED Luminaires
Lumax Lighting LED fixtures take advantage of the latest LED technologies because Lumax isn’t tied to any particular brand of LED boards or drivers. Lumax also uses leading edge reflector and lens materials that bring the highest transmission values coupled with exciting aesthetic and / or decorative elements. AFX and AFF series have exclusive lens selection options, which allow lighting to be as natural as possible. With the Lyric LDE LED series, on the other hand, you can precisely control lumen emission. And LG LED is considered the best economical choice in lighting for schools, offices, retail spaces and other commercial or institutional uses.
Commercial LED Adoption
Due to improvements in commercial LED technology, more business are investing in upgrading their lighting fixtures to commercial grade LEDs. Tim Hortons, a large restaurant chain, didn’t think that LED technology was ready to be deployed across their organization a few years ago, but they have seen the “light” and are now rolling out LED lights in all of their restaurants.
Tim Horton’s is transitioning to LED lighting because of advances that now produce a warm, friendly looking light, because these bulbs last for years, they require less maintenance than traditional, incandescent luminaires.
Governments are also adopting LED lighting because of even more advantages:
- Using less electricity
- Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions
- Improving safety
For example, the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Dallas is now completely equipped with LED lighting. The investment in lighting cost almost $250,000, with an expected return on investment in two to three years. While this quick ROI is faster than the industry average, it demonstrates of the benefits of improved commercial LED technologies: lower costs and faster returns.
Maintenance is a lot easier too- accessing burned out bulbs at the StarCenter means renting a lift at a cost of $500 an hour, but also buying new bulbs and paying off-hours overtime for the staff to switch them out. When dropped, they don’t shatter, and color temperatures now mimic incandescent lighting.
Commercial LED Trends
The LED industry has entered a growth phase because of improvements to the technology that make LED a viable option for many commercial applications that weren’t possible technically or financially just a few years ago.
In addition, many businesses have taken advantage of tax deductions for commercial buildings as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. There are also numerous state and local programs that further reduce the cost of implementing LED lights interior commercial and exterior commercial purposes.
LEDs may be the right option for you now or at some point in the near future. Use our sales rep locator to find a local company to help you determine whether it’s the right decision for your lighting project.