The invention of the LED has truly brightened life. Seriously though, LEDs, or Light-Emitting Diodes, have improved lighting options substantially; They’re brighter, faster, quieter. They last 25,000 hours-which is twice as long as fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and over 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs. If an LED bulb is used less than 3 hours a day, it can last 22-34 years. They’re safer, having no mercury as CFLs do, and they don’t heat up like the other bulbs so there is no burn hazard to hands or home. Their low heat-use also contributes to their energy efficiency. Overall, they are six to seven times more efficient than traditional bulbs.
Accessibility of LEDs has grown fast in the last few years. However, the first visible LED, which was red, was invented in 1962 by Nick Holonyak, Jr. (who was then nicknamed the “Father of the Light-Emitting Diode”). More colors were produced through the 1980s and early 1990s, but most notable were super-bright red and green which were used, for example, as indicator lights in devices such as remote controls and in calculators and digital clocks.
The blue LED was more of a challenge to scientists, but was finally invented in the early 1990s by Japanese-born American electronic engineer Shuji Nakamura. He later improved it with two physicist/inventors Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, and the new version provided the foundation of the LEDs we know today. Without the blue to combine with red and green we wouldn’t have computer and TV screens, and LED bulbs we now use. For their work, the three inventors received the Nobel Peace Prize, in 2014, which recognizes inventions that are considered the “greatest benefit to mankind.”
It’s no question that LEDs have provided an incredible benefit to the lighting world. As far as residential lighting, we can now focus light in a single direction more easily, for example, onto your workspace in your home office or on an antique vase, without having to use additional reflectors and lenses. With LEDs we can color light for holidays and themed party decor, and adjust temperature to show accurate, real life colors of the things around us in the home, like true white walls and works of art. The same lights can be dimmed without losing their true color rendering. Used strategically, lights can also improve our moods and emotions, and with LEDs we have much more control over that.
All of these benefits coupled with the financial and environmental value make LEDs a great choice for any home or business. We, at Lighting Technology Design, can determine how to design them to your best advantage and value.
We can’t wait to meet with you to start talking about a creative solution for your lighting needs. We invite you to make an appointment to come see our North Atlanta showroom, and experience in person the difference that LEDs offer.
Taylor St Clair and his team of lighting designers have been providing, architects, designers and builders hands-on lighting design & project management across the United States for over 20 years.
