Environmental Benefits of LED Task Lighting in Commercial Settings

LED technology has developed rapidly, becoming the most energy-efficient option for lighting. Commercial LED task lighting solutions provide equivalent or better lighting quality, while the bulbs are more durable and last significantly longer. Commercial LED lighting has rapidly increased efficiency. Solutions involving modern LED lighting provide businesses not only with kudos for pursuing environmental goals but also result in significant cost savings. It’s become possible now for companies to both lower pollution from energy production and pad their bottom lines.

Eco-Friendly Commercial LED Lighting Solutions

Commercial LED, task lighting solutions use much less energy than handheld incandescent or even fluorescent lighting. According to the Energy Star program by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), LED lighting uses as little as a tenth of the energy of incandescent bulbs while lasting up to fifty times longer. Additionally, they can last up to five times longer than fluorescent bulbs. Certain portable commercial LED lighting solutions have energy-saving features like motion sensors and automatic shut-off during daylight for outdoor use.

To understand how commercial LED task lighting solutions illuminate job tasks in commercial buildings and save businesses money, it’s essential to understand the difference between lumens and watts. Lumens indicate how brightly a lightbulb illuminates, whereas watts define how much hot electricity a lightbulb will use. For example, while a 60-watt conventional incandescent lightbulb produces about 800 lumens, an LED bulb would require 10 watts to make the same light. While compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs are more efficient than incandescent lighting, they’re still less efficient so they would require up to 18 watts for the same lighting.

When comparing incandescent lightbulbs to CFL and LED lighting: 

For 40W incandescent bulbs producing 400 to 500 lumens:

• CFL lightbulbs require only 8W to 12W
• LED lightbulbs require only 6W to 7W

For 60W incandescent bulbs producing 650 to 850 lumens:

• CFL lightbulbs require only 13W to 18W
• LED lightbulbs require only 7W to 10W

For 75W incandescent bulbs producing 1000 to 1400 lumens:

• CFL lightbulbs require only 18W to 22W
• LED lightbulbs require only 12W to 13W

For 100W incandescent bulbs producing 1450 to 1700 lumens

• CFL lightbulbs require only 23W to 30W
• LED lightbulbs require only 14W to 20W

For 150W incandescent bulbs producing 2700 or more lumens:

• CFL lightbulbs require only 30W to 55W
• LED lightbulbs require only 25W to 28W

Unlike LED bulbs, however, fluorescent lights contain mercury and other toxic chemicals that can contaminate the environment if not disposed of properly. For this reason, many states have stricter regulations for recycling CFLs and other fluorescent lighting than for LEDs.

Efficiency & Other Benefits of Commercial LED Lighting Solutions

Portable commercial LED lighting solutions are far more efficient because of their light-to-heat ratio. According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), about 90 percent of an incandescent lightbulb’s energy is converted into heat, while CFLs release 80 percent. However, the most efficient LED lights convert less than 5 percent of their electricity into heat. 

Longer Lifespans

This efficiency extends to their longer lifespan, with an average of over 20 times that of conventional incandescent lightbulbs and about ten times that of fluorescent lightbulbs. LED lights last 25 thousand hours on average compared to 1200 hours for incandescent lightbulbs, while fluorescent tubes last between 6 and 15 thousand hours. Even mercury vapor lights commonly used for overhead lighting in factories, sports stadiums, factories, and other large venues last about 24 thousand hours.

As lightbulbs need to be replaced less often, commercial LED lighting solutions cost significantly less. This extensive lifespan decreases the need to frequently replace bulbs, reducing waste and lowering costs associated with disposing of burnt-out lightbulbs. By producing less waste, commercial buildings lower their carbon footprint. Unlike fluorescent and mercury vapor lightbulbs, LED lighting doesn’t require specialized disposal procedures either.

Lower Cooling Loads

The heat from incandescent and fluorescent bulbs has often been a common source of electrical fires. However, LED lighting produces substantially less heat due to its lower wattage and luminosity. In contrast, both incandescent and fluorescent lighting produce substantially more heat, which can increase demand for a luminaire’s energy use. Their cooler temperatures make them far safer for use in commercial settings.

Lighting Quality

When it comes to quality, commercial LED lighting solutions provide superior brightness, color rendering, and uniformity. While LED lights illuminate areas more directly, incandescent and fluorescent lightbulbs shine light in a far more aimless and inefficient fashion, brightly illuminating areas that don’t need it, like ceilings. LEDs focus light more directly, providing accurate illumination and superior-quality ambient lighting, creating less glare. With less haphazard illumination from commercial LED solutions, businesses need fewer lights, so use less electricity. With this greater illumination accuracy, LED work lights are also safer, illuminating hazardous areas better so workers can avoid accidents.

Commercial LED Lighting Solutions from Alert Reel

Alert Reel Manufacturing can provide customers with off-the-shelf and custom commercial LED task lighting. Solutions Alert Reel can provide a range from standard LED work and task lighting that’s ready to deliver to tailored options, which our team of well-trained engineers can develop to meet your company’s needs directly. Whatever your needs, Alert Reel can provide the capabilities you need for your LED task lighting application.

Custom commercial LED lighting solutions include:

• LED or specialty lightbulbs
• Lighting integrated into equipment
• Motion, pull, or rocker switch types
• Power sources that are battery-powered, corded, or rechargeable
• Separate handheld lighting
• Varying brightness intensities

To learn more about our standard or custom commercial LED lighting solutions, contact the experts at Alert Reel today.