Bring the Light Back to your Street

Street lights are a familiar sight on all our streets, they serve a valuable purpose that helps keep us all safe after dark, but unless you work for a lighting company, or somewhere within the industry, you may not realise that technology is changing.  LED lights are the latest and best technology and savvy councils across the UK are moving streetlights over to this new improved light source.  For those of us that do not live on estates or in towns, LED lights can still serve a very valuable purpose, and there are several advantages to using them.

What is LED lighting

LED stands for light emitting diode. LEDs give more light per each unit of electricity consumed when compared to other traditional light sources. LED lights are not cheap to start with but they offer significant savings, which is what makes LED lighting a favourable option for businesses and councils to save money.  Money saving is not the only benefit, read on to find out more about why LED lighting might offer the perfect solution for you, and to learn more about why councils are beginning to favour them over old style street lighting.

LED lights last longer

This is an obvious benefit for street lighting as it means that the councils will not need to carry out so much maintenance and will save on man hours.  A traditional older style bulb is purported to have a life of about 1,200 hours, whereas the LED light will last for up to 50,000 hours - a massive difference!  Less time spent replacing bulbs has to be a good thing, especially where lighting is on roadsides, as you will not only have the cost of the workmen but also the safety and potential traffic control equipment needed too, this amounts to a significant saving. 

Cheaper to run

Whilst the cost of switching from traditional lighting to LED lighting might be a significant outlay for a  council, or indeed anyone looking to change or install new lighting, thinking longer term is a must.  The typical cost saving when using LED lighting is about 80% on energy bills and that is something that really cannot be overlooked.  This means you will soon recoup that outlay and start saving money, plus you will have installed a durable, long lasting light source so replacement and maintenance are no longer an issue.

Better for the planet

Although the big push to become more eco friendly seems to have died down a bit, we all know that we should try and be more environmentally aware and live a more eco savvy life.  LED lighting emits significantly less CO2 that other forms of lighting which is obviously better for the world, but also means that it uses less power.  A great way to look at it is to know that lighting a whole industrial space with LED lighting now takes as little energy as putting your kettle on for a cup of tea.

It is not hard to see why LED is best

When they were first launched LED lights were far too expensive for home use, but now things have changed.  Yes they may still be a bigger investment but as you can see, one worth making.  Having good lighting is essential for the council to meet their duty of care to the public. LED lights offer a white light which is also better for the eyes than the more yellow light produced by older style lighting.  They also come on slowly and build in brightness which means there is no sudden light increase.  From a street light point of view they offer a brighter light, but being directional they do not bounce into nearby windows and disturb the occupants. The beam of light is concentrated on the area the streetlight needs to light rather than wasting light all over.

If you are considering a great source of outdoor lighting for your property you would do well to consider LED lighting. Low maintenance costs and energy savings make great sense and you are doing your bit for the environment too.