• LED, Follow, or Get Out of the Way

    by  • February 26, 2013 • Green Building • 454 Comments

    LED

    The 2013 State of Green Business Report indicated that this year would be the year of the LED, or light-emitting diode. That, my friends, appears to be an understatement. In the blink of an eye, LEDs have gone from high-priced luminaires (emphasis added) to standard issue lamps. Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but LEDs are becoming mainstream.

    Historically, many have shied away from LEDs because of their high costs and associated lengthy payback periods. However, the costs have dropped so drastically that many suppliers and distributors are claiming that LEDs, at least in many commercial applications, can pay for themselves in 1 to 2 years!

    One of the coolest features of LEDs is its long life. Typical T8 fluorescent bulbs in commercial applications have an average lifespan of about 25,000 hours. LEDs last at least twice as long. Moreover, rather than going dark after their rated life expectancy as T8s do, LEDs slowly dim, allowing building and facility managers more flexibility in their relamping efforts.

    The drop in LED costs has been met with an increase in suppliers and distributors. The challenge now becomes navigating through different vendor offerings to choose quality products. I invite you to share your experiences with LED implementation in your applications. Sustainable Friends is a great vehicle to reward those with quality products and services, and shine a light on those who are solely trying to capitalize on a trend.

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    LEED AP. BPI certified. Behavior change advocate.