Light emitting diode (LED) lights have come a long way. They are up to seven times as energy efficient as their conventional counterparts. They only use about 20% of the power that is used by traditional light bulbs. They also last a lot longer lives. The average life for a LED lightbulb is more than 25,000 hours. That makes their lifespan 25 times longer that a conventional lightbulb. If you run them for 24 hours and seven days a week, you will still get more than three years of light. They make excellent portable lighting source for outdoor lighting
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What You Need to Know About LED Lights
The rating system makes buying bulbs a breeze.The Federal Trade Commission mandated that all lightbulbs, from LEDs to incandescent to halogens have to be rated by the lumens rating system. Lumens will replace wattage on bulb packages. They more accurately describe how bright the bulbs are. These labels also include how much energy will be used by the different bulbs, the bulb’s expected lifespan and how much you can dim the light. This can make buying the right bulb for any outdoor job that requires portable lighting.
You get no mercury with LED lightbulbs. While they are more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs, a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), does contain mercury. It is a small amount but some people prefer to not se them to avoiding adding mercury to the environment when they dispose of the bulbs at the end of their lifespan. Consumers have even been warned to treat a broken CFL the same way you would any hazardous material. LEDs have no mercury and nothing special needs to be done with them when they burn out.
LEDs turn on immediately and can be dimmed. When you turn on some CFLs, there is a small delay in the light actually turning on. This does not happen when you turn on an LED light. You turn it on and have instant light that can be dimmed to your desired brightness level that remains constant. If you are working on a construction site at night, the last thing you need is lights that flicker on and off. This can present real safety issues should that occur at the wrong time. Using LEDs for portable construction lights gives you the right amount of light for your job.
LEDs keep the heat level low. Because they produce so little heat, 90% of the power used by incandescent bulbs is lost as heat, they can be used in more places. LEDs are cool to the touch and you may want that for your construction project (or at home). Incandescent lights can put out as much as one joule each second. For enclosed spaces an incandescent light bulb can raise the temperature by 11 degrees Fahrenheit or about six degrees celsius in an hour.
You will get lights but no bugs with LED lights. Most LED lights do not attract insects. By contrast, moths flock to the light put off by other kinds of lightbulbs. You can buy LED portable lighting that is designed with colored lighting for use on a construction (or other project) but even the brightest light should not be a magnet for moths. You can get that information on the packaging for the lightbulb.
They do cost more. You can expect to pay more for LED lights but remember, in the time you have the lightbulbs, you would have gone through a lot more of the cheaper incandescent lightbulbs so you are actually saving money by spending a little more up front. Plus your electric bill will reflect your usage of LED lights and you will make the money you spend back that way as well.
As LED technology advances, the prices, which are already dropping will drop even further. You get a lot of bang for your buck when you select this kind of lightbulb. They are more energy efficient, supply better light (that can be dimmed but will remain constant, will far outlast incandescent bulbs and run a lot cooler than other lightbulbs on the market today. If you are setting a construction project and need portable lighting, these cannot be beat.
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