A Swarovski crystal lighting display powered by LEDs at the Sparkling Hill Resort near Vernon, B.C
LEDs are a huge improvement in energy efficiency and will save businesses a fortune
When a cartoon character gets a bright idea, you'll see a light bulb over its head. Now the bulbs themselves are getting smart. They're better and brighter than ever, and they're making huge leaps in energy efficiency.
The City of Los Angeles, for example, began converting its 210,000 streetlamps to light-emitting diodes (LED) four years ago, saving vast amounts of money on electricity and improving efficiency. L.A. has installed 140,000 LED streetlights so far.
LEDs have come a long way since they were invented five decades ago by GE engineer Nick Holonyak. Check out the magnificent Swarovksi Crystal lighting at the Sparkling Hill Resort near Vernon, B.C., which switched over to LEDs. The staff has only changed five bulbs in two years, a huge decrease from the nearly 2,500 before the change. Lighting costs at the resort are down $138,000 a year − a projected $1.3-million reduction over a decade.
LEDs use special semiconductors that convert as much as a third of the electricity that flows through them directly to light. By comparison, Thomas Edison's first light bulb in 1879 converted about 1 per cent and wasted the rest as heat. You can tell the difference between a conventional bulb and an LED by touching both when they're lit − the LED is the one that doesn't burn your hand.
By some estimates, commercial and consumer LED lighting could reach 60 per cent of all sales by the end of this decade. Los Angeles' Bureau of Street Lighting is taking smart lighting a step further, working with GE Lighting on a pilot project that lets city lighting engineers monitor most streetlights remotely, gather and analyze illumination data, and make informed decisions about when to turn the lights on and off.
Up to now, people have assumed − correctly, it seems − that in most cities the lights go on when photo sensors detect that it's dark outside. L.A. plans to install a remote control system into the light sensor of each roadway fixture, so city engineers can make sure lighting is on when its needed, and dimmed or turned off when it's not.
For more innovation insights, visit www.gereports.ca
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department, in consultation with GE. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.