Key advantages of switching to LED lighting Efficiency and Cost reduction LEDs are extremely energy efficient and consume up to 90% less power than older incandescent bulbs and around 65% less power than equivalent fluorescent tubes, resulting in a significant decrease in energy costs.
Heat Reduction LED operating temperatures are around 60 degrees centigrade compared with conventional lighting which has operating temperatures of 300-450 degrees centigrade. Therefore, LEDs help keep classrooms at a comfortable temperature.
Low Carbon Emissions LED lighting can reduce your carbon output by 65 to 90% and is environmentally friendly as they contain no mercury or polluting gases. They are also 95% recyclable.
Safety All LEDs are free from harmful ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) emissions.
Quality of Light The quality of the white light can be tailored to suit the human eye, eliminating eye strain, as proven by the study at the University of Twente, Netherlands. This has shown that LED lighting actually improves the working environment, raising morale, increasing productivity and lowering absenteeism. LEDs can also be matched to a specific colour index, produce instant full light with adjustable beam angles and are dimmable.
Life Cycle LEDs expect a life cycle of 50,000 hours with minimal degradation. This equates to 5.7 years if left on continuously or over 17 years if switched on for 8 hours a day. The life cycle will therefore decrease maintenance costs significantly.
Durability LEDs are solid state lighting devices that utilise semiconductor material instead of a filament or neon gas. An LED light is a tiny chip encapsulated in an epoxy resin enclosure which makes LEDs far sturdier than traditional incandescent light bulbs or fluorescent tubes. Since LEDs do no use fragile components such as glass and filaments, LEDs are able to withstand shock, vibration and extreme temperature.
Top tips It is more cost effective to upgrade some types of lights than others:
Upgrading a non-fluorescent to an LED will often pay back your costs in less than one year
The circular (D type, compact) fluorescent lights are much less efficient than fluorescent tubes, you should replace them immediately as you will get your money back in under 18 months
There are LED versions of most types of existing lights so your caretaker or building manager can just replace the bulbs without going to the expense of replacing the fittings
Non-classroom spaces are often too brightly lit. A low cost approach would be to remove a few of the bulbs in these areas