LED Lighting

Sheyla Lima
Composition
Dr.Greer
June 30, 2014


LED light bulb
The incandescent bulb was the only choice for over
one hundred years as a light source. Until Oct. 9th 1962,
GE Scientist Nick Holonyak invented the first LED. Light-
emitting diodes (LED) are small sources of light that work
when the movements from electrons light up
semiconductors material. When compare to other lighting
methods that are available on the market today, LED
lighting is the most energy efficiency, has superior lifetime, and is
the most environmental friendly.
LEDs use less energy in which can save money in the long run. According to
GElighting.com, In the year 2030, the US Department of Energy estimates LED solid-state
lighting could save approximately 190 terawatt-hours of electricity per year resulting in 15
billion in savings a year at today's prices. Replacing just one incandescent bulb with a LED can
save about $100 off the utility bill over the bulb's lifetime. LEDs have saved me a thousand and
twenty dollars on my electricity bill, claims Sabrina Franco, who recently changed all of her
lighting to LEDs six months ago. With a household of eight, you do what you can to save even
the littlest amount of money especially on bills and switching all of the regular blubs to LEDs
saved me a lot more money than I expected. Because LEDs use less energy to generate light,
this means the bulb can also last longer.
The LED light bulbs superior life-span over-shadows other competitors. The typical life
of an incandescent is 1,000 hours and CFLs can last about 10,000 hours. LEDs can have life-
span of 50,000 hours or more depending on how much light is used in household. A longer bulb
lifespan can help reduce maintenance cost due to fewer bulb replacements. Since I changed all
my lights, I havent had to replaced any light bulbs in the house and we use our lights on an
average of 5 hours a day, stated Ms. Franco. In an addition, longer lifespan will decrease the
amount contribute to landfills from replacement bulbs. Ms. Franco also added, Not having to
replace the bulbs so often like I had to before with the regular light bulbs is a benefit to the
environment which is great! In fact, LEDs life-span can help condense hazard waste to the
environment and wont affect human health.
LEDs are can help the environment. The LEDs lower energy consumption decreases
CO
2
emissions. According to howstuffworks.com, LEDs generate very little heat, relatively
speaking. A much higher percentage of the electrical power is going directly to generating light,
which cuts down on the electricity demands considerably. LEDs are less likely to contaminate
the environmental and have less personal exposure to hazardous material because they are free of
toxic chemicals and 100% percent recyclable unlike other competitors. These actions alone could
help reduce the carbon footprints generated through so many by at least 1/3.
As a result, LEDs advancement since 1962 has been contributing to society with many
financially and ecological benefits. The answer is quite simple: LEDs are swiftly becoming the
number one lighting source. These contributions dont only benefit just the people who made the
switch but help us towards a greener future.


References
Bailey, S. (2012, October 10). 5 reasons why LED lamps are better than CFLs. LeapFrogLighting.
Retrieved June 30, 2014, from http://www.leapfroglighting.com/5-reasons-why-led-lamps-are-
better-than-cfls/
Harris, Tom, and Wesley Fenlon. "How Light Emitting Diodes Work" 31 January 2002.
HowStuffWorks.com. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm> 30 June 2014.
Learn About LED | LED Lights | Home Lighting. (n.d.). GE Lighting North America. Retrieved June
30, 2014, from http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/consumer/led/learn-about/
S. Franco, Personal communications, June 28, 2014