Go Green Academy recently wrote this article about the benefits of LED Grow Lights. The article highlight the benefits of LED Grow Lights by comparing them to other lightning solutions, such as Incandescent lights, Fluorescent lights and Halogen lights.
We have put together some key takeaways we believe help give a basic understanding about why you should be using LED grow lights:
Incandescent and Halogen - Life expectancy: 6 to 12 months
“Incandescent and Halogen bulbs both have similar technologies. They rely on a metal filament to conduct electricity across it in order to produce light. The filament burns as a result of the electric current. This means that much of the energy being used is converted to infrared energy instead of light, a factor which makes them very inefficient as far as light sources are concerned”
Fluorescent - Life expectancy: Up to 5 years
“Fluorescent lights, produce a great deal less heat than filament light sources, but often that light is a cooler end of the spectrum and not quite as close to natural sunlight as halogen can provide. This means that plants aren’t getting the right amplitude of light waves necessary for optimum growing conditions”
LED Lights - Life expectancy: Up to 10+ years (learn more about lifespan)
“LED grow lights, use as much as 60% less electricity, to produce an equivalent amount of light. LED lights lose virtually none of their energy to heat….LED grow lights operate using a diode, which generates virtually no heat and can be changed to match any color within the light spectrum. This allows growers to mimic more closely the peak growing season conditions for virtually any plant imaginable”
We agree that there really isn’t a comparison to be made between old lightning technologies and LEDs - even if LEDs have a higher investment cost. We would take this one step further and argue that every grower should take the next step and grow with LEDs. Doing so will allow your plants to experience the light spectrum benefit and you to experience the long term savings.
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