EFICIENCY

We can define efficiency as the relationship between resources used in a project and achievements obtained with it. It is understood that efficiency happens when fewer resources are used to achieve the same goal. Or conversely, when more objectives are achieved with the same or fewer resources.

The efficiency of LED lighting has greatly advanced by technological innovation in the recent decades. The efficiency of incandescent lamps like tungsten halogen is of about 12 to 20 lumens per watt, fluorescent lamps are 50 to 70 lumens per watt and sodium lamps 90 lumens per watt.

The result of this poor efficiency results in energy consumption as a consequence of the heat generated by these lamps. The efficiency of LED lighting will reach more than 200 lumens per watt, maintaining 90% of efficiency (now we get 100-130 lm / w).

This will be achieved by providing benefits such as an excellent colour rendering index or a limited spectrum of light, without UV emission, resulting in no need for filtration.

Getting the same light output, LED energy consumption is only one-eighth of which is the incandescent lamp and half of the fluorescent lamp.

The use of lighting based on the electronic emission of a light field has many advantages, in relation to incandescence. As long as we depend on a filament warming to produce light, the heat will we accumulated and the light will be softened.

This is not an efficient light source. Lighting solutions based on LEDs use small and light volumes, packed in epoxy to resist high strength mechanical shock and vibration. The average lifetime is 50,000 hours.

The lifetime of the LEDs based lighting can reach 10 years depending on the daily hours of use. Using LED solutions entails greatly reduced maintenance costs and a reduced level of reactances and light stocks due to the reduced need of replacement.

In this section we will take on the analysis of the evolution of electricity prices in recent years and the growing trend that marks the cited evolution.

Normally LED bulbs use up to 90% less electricity than incandescent bulbs. They have an unequalled light spectrum and a lifetime beyond 5 years. LEDs provide the most efficient way to save energy and conserve our natural resources. If the LEDs were implemented right now universally, we would not need to build new power plants.

LEDs actually eliminate the need for over 30 existing power plants. Do not confuse the emission of light, measured in lumens, with the electrical power used in a light, measured in watts. In fact, a 20W compact fluorescent light can produce as much usable light as a 75W incandescent light (and save a lot of energy).

In the case of a 6W LED light, it is equivalent to a 50W halogen luminaire. Both produce the same amount of usable light but the LED luminaire energy consumption is much lower. The most common way to express the energy efficiency of a light source is the relationship between the number of lumens produced per each energy watt consumed. As a result of this, the measure of the efficiency of a light is the output in lumens per watt (LPW).