Kim Lighting LED Lighting — dark sky fixtures that save energy

March 12, 2012 - PRLog -- Manufacturers of light emitting diodes or LEDs believe that they have the optimal solution to meeting “sustainable sky” ordinances of many communities. LEDs are energy efficient and do not use any gas in their manufacturing process. The drivers used for operation contain no lead or mercury. Long life comparisons between LEDs and other types of lighting systems show that LEDs when properly installed can last up to 80,000 hours, many more than High Intensity Discharge (HID), fluorescent or incandescent light sources. Historically, LEDs have not been used for community street or site lighting; with recent advancements of LEDs, however, communities have a new option for saving money and reducing light pollution. And LEDs can now be used in street and site lighting to direct light where it is needed to avoid spilling onto adjacent properties, also known as light trespass.

In street and site lighting, there are two areas of light safety design to consider. Designers light the ground plane using low level luminaires such as bollards and pathway lights, or an entire area by properly placing controlled, low glare illumination that can be mounted as high as thirty-five feet from the ground plane.

Sustainable lighting requires that the luminaire, regardless of the light source, is controlled to light the area required for safety without sacrificing the view of the night sky above. New LED lights with modular components or linear strips are designed to harness and direct LED light output.

LEDs continue to improve and have not reached their full potential, but it is already evident that they will save energy on many levels. The potential uniformity with LED allows the customer to use lower wattage to create safer environments with less money. As an example: A 150-Watt LED fixture could replace a 250-Watt Metal Halide product that uses 291-Watts of energy and save $56.00 per year on energy alone ($0.10/Kwh @ 11-hr per night). The additional savings are for not having to replace lamps every three years.

Earlier LED light output performance was suitable for low level and landscape lighting, but with proprietary, micro-emitter technology and advances in LED technology, the diodes can be placed in individual modules and angled into any position, focused to provide the required lighting on the surface area. The DOE and ENERGY STAR are currently reviewing new criteria for lighting interior and exterior surfaces, to provide guidance for architects seeking to choose the most energy efficient strategy for their purposes.

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