Do These Lighting Problems Sound Familiar? LED Lights Are The Solution

LED lighting technology is fast replacing conventional lighting , and for good reason, too. LEDs produce higher quality light, are more cost- and energy-efficient, and require far less maintenance than their conventional lighting counterparts (but more on all these benefits later). Like many things in life, the first step to solving a lighting problem is to acknowledge that there IS one. With that in mind, do any of these lighting problems sound familiar to you?

Indoor lighting flickering, dimming, or too noisy? Different bulbs fail in different ways - some burn out, some gradually become dimmer over time, some flicker incessantly before kicking the bucket, and so on and so forth. Lighting failures like these can become a terrible distraction when they’re indoors. For example, consider students testing in classrooms with bulbs dimming at different rates. Not only does this make it harder to see and concentrate, the additional squinting isn’t good for eye health, either. Or consider an office setting with flickering or hissing lights; this can have a negative effect on employee productivity . It’s much better to have an energy efficient lighting solution wherein similar bulbs with similar lifespans and failure characteristics are installed. For instance, indoor LED lights degrade very slowly. This provides a measure of stability and allows a facility to schedule maintenance on a regular basis. Energy and utility costs are too high. When you consider the amount of energy required to light a warehouse , a strip mall, or even a school with, say, twenty classrooms, you quickly realize that these costs add up. This is especially true for conventional lighting solutions, which generally use a fuel source to heat a filament which then gives off light. The problem with this approach is that much of the energy created is wasted as heat emissions, rather than light. LED technology changes that in a significant way, because LEDs generate light differently than conventional lighting (using electrical diodes rather than a filament and heating source). You can learn more about how LED lights work in this blog . The lighting aesthetic is all wrong. This may seem like a superfluous concern, but lighting is an often underlooked characteristic in its ability to influence a visitor’s perspective of a particular place. Consider how customers, clients, and visitors feel in a dim, dark parking garage as opposed to a recently retrofitted one. Lighting changes can have subtle - but important - effects on those who visit your facility, or frequent your business. Why is LED technology a good solution to the lighting problems mentioned above? Whether your organization is a commercial, educational, industrial, municipal, or real estate enterprise, it’s highly likely that an LED retrofit can solve the most common lighting problems you’re experiencing. Maintenance costs, energy costs and footprint, and lighting quality are all characteristics in which LED lighting technology outperforms its conventional counterparts. Let’s take a closer look at how and why an LED conversion solves certain problems (to learn about how LEDs perform compared to specific types of lights, click the image to download our free ebook about seven lights that are being put out of business by LEDs):

Reduced maintenance costs. Did you know that LED lighting fixtures can last four to forty times longer than conventional lighting solutions? One of the primary reasons for this massive difference is the solid-state technology of LED lighting versus the use of electrical current and filaments for older bulbs, as discussed above. The mechanical components of conventional lighting solutions (such as filaments) are more likely to degrade and break down over time. Consider the financial implications of basically eliminating the need to replace bulbs every couple of years. In a warehouse, commercial, or industrial setting, the savings on materials and labor alone would be substantial - you can see this effect through a Return on Investment calculation , which we would be happy to accomplish free of charge for your organization. Improved lighting quality. Have you ever noticed the yellowish glow of traditional HPS street lighting? Or how everything within the patch of yellow light is slightly discolored? This is because sodium vapor lights have a terrible Color Rendering Index (CRI) . LEDs, on the other hand, do a great job of accurately reflecting an object’s actual colors, even at night. You can read more about specific lighting terms such as CRI, Correlated Color Temperature, foot-candles, and more in this blog . Reduced energy consumption. Hands down, one of the greatest benefits of converting to LED lighting technology is reduced energy consumption. This is a positive effect for your own organization, the environment, and might even qualify you for government programs that reward organizations with “green” initiatives. Our previous clients have seen drops of 40 - 70% in usage, resulting in lower bills and a better environmental footprint. This has been the case whether the fixtures were in a real estate, commercial, educational, or municipal setting. Also of note, there are several financial rebates available for those organizations trying to reduce their footprint and energy consumption. Stouch Lighting can help you decipher which of these your organization may be eligible for. If you recognized any of the problems we discussed in the first section - failure characteristics, energy and maintenance costs, or aesthetic problems - your building may be a great candidate for an LED retrofit. Such a large project may seem intimidating at first, but our goal at Stouch Lighting is to guide our clients through assessing, evaluating, and solving lighting and energy problems. We invite you to look at our case study library , or to browse client testimonials found throughout our site. And as always, please feel free to reach out with questions at any time - we look forward to hearing from you!

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