Does a LED lighting changeover pay off?

[superdivisor]

To me it seems like the importance of LED technology increases more and more. Often I am reading of the constant and fast development, which leads to great inventions in even more efficient and sustainable lighting, so that now big companies with large production halls or open-plan offices and even whole cities processed LED lighting changeovers in public areas.

Sadly I am not really familiar with the technology and details behind LED lighting therefore I am hoping some of you are.
Are the advantages like saving of costs really that big, that you should invest in a changover? I'm looking forward to your comments!

[swansont]

To me it seems like the importance of LED technology increases more and more. Often I am reading of the constant and fast development, which leads to great inventions in even more efficient and sustainable lighting, so that now big companies with large production halls or open-plan offices and even whole cities processed LED lighting changeovers in public areas.

Sadly I am not really familiar with the technology and details behind LED lighting therefore I am hoping some of you are.

Are the advantages like saving of costs really that big, that you should invest in a changover? I'm looking forward to your comments!

It's easy enough to calculate. There's the cost of the bulb, the cost of operation (electricity) and the cost of maintenance & overhead.

 

Incandescent bulbs are only a few percent efficient — a 100W bulb gives you 5-10W of visible light, and ~1600 lumens of illumination. That'll cost you ~$0.50 for each bulb and ~$0.10 per kWh for operation. Let's say 20000 hours — on 10 hours a day (every work day) for 10 years. Electricity costs you $200. You'll go through maybe 16 bulbs. That's $8. (Most people focus on the bulb cost and not the electricity). You have to procure and change the bulbs. Maybe two hours of somebody's time. $50. Total cost: $258, or $26 a year

 

A CFL bulb costing a few dollars will only need to be changed 3x — they last 5000-8000 hours, and will only burn 25 watts. Total cost: $65, or $6.50 a year

 

An LED bulb costing $25 will last 2.5x as long as this example, and burn less than 20 watts. Total cost: $55, or $5.50 a year.

 

That's for a single 100W bulb. Scale all of this up by whatever factor (10? 100? 1000?) for an office, and if electricity costs more. Replacing incandescents is a no-brainer. You'd recover your investment in two years. Switching from CFL a much smaller savings, so recouping the investment will take longer, but they're better for the environment.

[Externet]

...An LED bulb costing $25 will last 2.5x as long as this example, and burn less than 20 watts. Total cost: $55, or $5.50 a year...

A typical led bulb noted above as $25 can be actually $2.50, tenfold the changeover convenience expressed above. And that price includes importing and markups.

 

Not 100W equivalent, but, from my local store, when they are not in 'sale' at $1.98 each in six pack:

 

 

The changeover to LED lighting should be harnessed to increase your savings, not filling vendor pockets on over-inflated prices. Then the thing works very well.

When the location deserves in my home, I use for two of those inexpensive 60W equivalent instead of one expensive 100 W equivalent with :

 

Edited May 14, 2016 by Externet

[Phi for All]

On a commercial scale, the savings are even bigger, since businesses tend to use more peak power from the utilities, so saving more energy during the day pays off bigger. I encourage commercial clients to stay away from LEDs that mimic old Edison technology (screw-ins) and fluorescent tube tech (although the 4' LED equivalents aren't bad), and opt instead for more integrated fixtures that take advantage of what solid-state technology offers.

 

There are some nifty kits that replace the bottom part of a 2' x 4' fluorescent tube troffer (so many of those in the US!), which usually has 3-4 fluorescent tubes, with an integrated LED array and a better optical panel. The top half stays, connected to the existing power supplies and switches, the ballast is removed, and the new bottom panel is hooked up and snaps in place like the old bottom panel. This gives an integrated LED array for about 50 watts, as opposed to about 72 watts for LED tubes, or 128 watts for fluorescent tubes. The light levels are about equal. The kits are about $95 each.

[Danijel Gorupec]

I guess that if you use air conditioning a lot, you can benefit even more from more efficient lighting (on the other hand, if you heat your rooms by electric energy a lot, then benefits are somewhat diminished).

 

(I have few light bulbs under stairs etc. where I would not mind if they remain inefficient for a while. I use them twice a week for two minutes.)

 

How much you like LED light quality is for you to decide. I must admit that I find bright incandescent lighting (like halogen) very good (still better than LED -> also good).

[Phi for All]

How much you like LED light quality is for you to decide. I must admit that I find bright incandescent lighting (like halogen) very good (still better than LED -> also good).

 

Because of the nature of LEDs, if you prefer an incandescent light it's probably because you haven't seen its equivalent in LED. If by "bright" you mean strong, more illumination, you can find a stronger LED wattage with higher lumens to match the level you prefer. If by "bright" you mean more like bluer sunlight than redder firelight, again, LEDs can be found in many color temperatures, for whatever lighting conditions you want to create. Most of my commercial customers prefer a bluer light to help with clarity and focus on the job. Most residential customers want a redder light for relaxation.

[CharonY]

I think for some of the more unusual (usually halogen) bulbs it may be harder to find LEDs with very high lumen. I guess it may because of the difficulty to design an efficient heat sink around some small form factors.

[Phi for All]

I think for some of the more unusual (usually halogen) bulbs it may be harder to find LEDs with very high lumen. I guess it may because of the difficulty to design an efficient heat sink around some small form factors.

 

The MR16 halogen bulb is a great example. They're used extensively in retail, and in homes where artwork is being displayed. They have mirrored reflectors, they're usually low-voltage, and they run a very hot 50 watts. The LED equivalents haven't been very effective for the price, and some have to have a small fan inside to cool the lamp (if your store is quiet, like your average jewelry store, you can hear them spinning).

[CharonY]

I guess a G9 would also be quite a challenge, as I would assume that it could only be passively cooled.

[Externet]

G9 ----> http://www.walmart.com/ip/LUXRITE-Luxrite-3.7-Watt-4100K-T4-Replacement-G9-Base-LED-Light-Bulb/49654424

[CharonY]

Oh, I have those, but you will note that despite the much larger size, the possible lumen output is generally quite a bit lower. I.e. halogen bulbs can have up to ~1900 lumens whereas the initial lumens for most LEDS are <300. Some of them have massive heat sinks, but I doubt that a fan would fit in there.