LED Lighting Outdoors

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There are three extremely good reasons for using LEDs in outdoor applications.

Firstly, there are the energy savings. LED Outdoor lights are at least five times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and over 65% more efficient than fluorescent tubes. These savings can be particularly significant for external lighting, which is typically left running for long periods.

Secondly, the quantity and quality of light produced by LED systems can be significantly better than traditional lighting technologies. This can lead to safety improvements for pedestrians and drivers, as well as improving the appearance of public spaces.

And thirdly, LED lamps have a typical life of more than six years continuous use, which is substantially longer than conventional technologies. This ensures considerable savings in replacement and maintenance costs, particularly as outside lighting can often be difficult or dangerous to reach. It also improves safety levels because the lighting is less likely to fail in critical areas.

Therefore it is no surprise to find that outside applications make up one of the fastest growing markets for LED lighting applications. For example, the Better Days BP petrol station in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, is using LEDs for all of its external lighting. The resulting bright white light has enhanced the appearance of the forecourt and is pulling in the customers, while at the same time delivering a massive 62% energy saving.

In addition, a growing number of educational establishments are using LED lighting for illuminating outdoor spaces. Examples include: car parks at the Prairie School, Wisconsin; LED street lights at the University of California, Santa Barbara; and roadway lighting at Tianjin Polytechnic University in China. On a even larger scale, the LED City initiative is encouraging local governments across North America to adopt LED lighting for its outside spaces. It was launched in February 2007 with a pilot project in Raleigh, North Carolina. This installation in a parking garage is delivering a 40% energy saving, and the public using the garage have reacted positively to the superior quality of the lighting.

Ann Arbor in Michigan is also joining the LED city programme with the installation of 1,000 LED street lights over a two year period. This is expected to give energy savings of 50% and a payback period of 3.8 years.

Other cities that have signed up to the scheme include Toronto, Ontario, and Austin, Texas. The latter is trying out the technology in a parking garage and for street lighting applications, while Joe Pantalone, the Deputy Mayor of Toronto, sees a very bright future for LEDs.

“I predict within the next 10 years you’re going to see street lights all over Toronto either converted or in the process of being converted to LED lighting, because LED lights will reduce the energy consumption by 50% or more,” he stated, adding: “It’s a no brainer really to do this. It will save tax payers’ money and save the environment.”