Capture efficiency potential by designing buildings compatible with 21st century lighting

Recent columns explored the macro movements in the global energy market that are redefining the scale and cost of cleaner energy alternatives. Sometimes these horizons are so broad it is not always easy to see how they affect local practice. However, these trends are transforming tactical choices such as LED lighting.

Winds from at least three major markets are redefining the playing field for LEDs. China is the world’s largest consumer of efficient energy options, as they try to avoid the worst environmental impacts of growth. This also creates manufacturing with accelerated exports as a huge added bonus. Germany and Japan are restructuring their electricity use to manage the accelerated closure of nuclear plants. Combined these are driving huge volumes for LED lights, pushing down prices and increasing choices. At ground level, It is not always easy to tell when a product moves into the mainstream from being a niche choice. So are LEDs ready for prime time, and are they the right choice for your next lighting project?

On efficiency, it is hard to argue against them. The only alternative that beats them on efficiency is well-thought-out day-lighting. The combination of LEDs and day-lighting controls reduces energy use to a fraction of relatively recent alternatives. This is made even more flexible by the excellent dimming characteristics of many LEDs.

In any application where accessibility is an issue, the right choice of LED is a real winner in reducing the average intervention time to clean and replace lamps. It is no accident that the early adopters of LEDs were application such as street lights and traffic signals where the labor savings was a decisive factor. As is so often the case, our procurement process fails to capture benefits like reduced maintenance, yet again a reason to change the way we buy. The notoriety of early LEDs failing to meet their targeted lives of many years has encouraged manufacturers to improve quality control and offer robust warranties.

The harsh light quality of early LEDs was reason enough not to use them. Manufacturers have now mastered predictable color temperatures in a wide range of fittings. The negative light quality argument is increasingly going the other way, especially relative to CFL and other fluorescent alternatives. The crisp light quality, immediate start, and dimming characteristics are seen as desirable improvements over the recent past. Ironically these are characteristics of incandescent bulbs that are most missed.