Many growers are still hesitant towards the efficiency of LEDs and not without reason, as many LEDs failed to live up to its promise when LEDs entered the market. But lots have happened in the last years improving both efficiency and power consumption of LEDs. Therefore we continue our myth buster series with LED myth #3 - Power Consumption (Efficiency).
Myth #3 — Power Consumption (Efficiency):
Most of the power supplied to LEDs is lost as waste heat. Of the power supplied to a typical LED, significantly less than half is actually used by the LED. The rest is wasted as heat in the resistor.
Busted: LED power consumption levels depend on the device manufacturer, on the color and on the amount of power supplied to the diode. LED lamps, which have improved their efficiency roughly 50 percent in the last decade, have expanded commercial options as federal regulations tighten, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (At the same time, LED prices have continued dropping “dramatically” according to EIA.)
Electricity to operate the lights has been reduced by 60 percent from the old technology (HPS) we were using before. Cooling costs are significantly reduced as well because the lamps don’t generate as much heat.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) reported as far back as 2008 that LED technology has been capturing increasing market share in new applications because it offers energy savings, lower operating costs and improved durability compared to conventional light sources such as incandescent, high intensity discharge (HID) and fluorescent.
“In recent years, LEDs have entered the lighting market, offering consumers performance and features exceeding those of traditional lighting technologies,” according to the ACEEE’s “Energy Savings Estimates of LEDs in Niche Lighting Applications.”
But, of all the efficiency arguments, simply replacing a 1000W HPS with a 600W LED makes the most sense. Heliospectra has engineered the LX60 model lamps to compete head to head with industry leading 1000W units - and commercial growers are seeing the advantages in their operations.
Are you ready to invest in a more energy efficient lighting alternative?
Contact Heliospectra to find out how we can add value to your growth operation.
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