Energy Saving Ideas

ENERGY SAVING IDEAS (4)

Top 8 Things You Didn’t Know About LEDs

Written by marshall

This article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “Top Things You Didn’t Know About…” Be sure to check back for more entries soon.

A light-emitting diode, or LED, is a type of solid-state lighting that uses a semiconductor to convert electricity into light. Today’s LED bulbs can be six-seven times more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lights and cut energy use by more than 80 percent.

Good-quality LED bulbs can have a useful life of 25,000 hours or more — meaning they can last more than 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs. That is a life of more than three years if run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Unlike incandescent bulbs — which release 90 percent of their energy as heat — LEDs use energy far more efficiently with little wasted heat.

From traffic lights and vehicle brake lights to TVs and display cases, LEDs are used in a wide range of applications because of their unique characteristics, which include compact size, ease of maintenance, resistance to breakage, and the ability to focus the light in a single direction instead of having it go every which way.

LEDs contain no mercury, and a recent Energy Department study determined that LEDs have a much smaller environmental impact than incandescent bulbs. They also have an edge over compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) that’s expected to grow over the next few years as LED technology continues its steady improvement.

Since the Energy Department started funding solid-state lighting R&D in 2000, these projects have received 58 patents. Some of the most successful projects include developing new ways to use materials, extract more light, and solve the underlying technical challenges. Most recently, the Energy Department announced five new projects that will focus on cutting costs by improving manufacturing equipment and processes.

The first visible-spectrum LED was invented by Nick Holonyak, Jr., while working for GE in 1962. Since then, the technology has rapidly advanced and costs have dropped tremendously, making LEDs a viable lighting solution. Between 2011 and 2012, global sales of LED replacement bulbs increased by 22 percent while the cost of a 60-watt equivalent LED bulb fell by nearly 40 percent. By 2030, it’s estimated that LEDs will account for 75 percent of all lighting sales.

In 2012, about 49 million LEDs were installed in the U.S. — saving about $675 million in annual energy costs. Switching entirely to LED lights over the next two decades could save the U.S. $250 billion in energy costs, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by nearly 50 percent and avoid 1,800 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

Rebecca Matulka

Former Digital Communications Specialist, Office of Public Affairs

FIVE STEPS TO ENERGY SAVINGS

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• ‌
• INTRODUCTION
• SURVEY
• PROPOSAL
• INSTALLATION
• ONGOING RESULTS

Our First Meeting we will explore:

• Your expectations
• Different Technologies
• Available Products
• Where you are in the process.
• Next Step

We will begin by surveying and evaluating your
existing system and discussing your hours of
operation and previous electric bills so that we
can determine your cost per kWh.

After the initial survey, we will return to discuss the following:

• Our proposed upgrades
• Energy savings
• ROI
• Lighting expectations
• Available incentives and rebates
• Funding options

With Teems, this is truly a turnkey experience. Once we’ve reached an agreement, Teems will begin:

• Project management
• Installation process
• Disposal and recycling of existing equipment
• And so much more

As soon as your project is complete, you will begin saving on
your energy costs!

There are many benefits to completing an energy efficiency project with Teems. Some of the highlights are:

• Savings evident on your next electric bill
• Increased production
• Higher light quality

Your next bill is guaranteed to show the savings in dollar signs!

ENERGY TEAM

• Nick Lewis
• Division Manager
• Cell 423-595-6864
• Office 706-937-4200 Ext 138
• E-mail
• nicklewis@teemsenergy.com

• Marshall Thrasher
• Sales Engineer / Project Manager
• Cell 423-240-6493
• Office 706-937-4200 Ext 142
• E-mail
• marshallthrasher@teemselectric.com