From sports stadiums to driveways, floodlights provide the bright conditions necessary for nocturnal leisure or industrial activities, and can increase security for businesses and households alike.
However, with some lights powered for up to 10 hours a day, electricity and maintenance costs can really add up, as well as the inevitable environmental impact of high energy consumption and light pollution.
The most commonly used floodlight is halogen-based. They're cheap to purchase, easy to find replacement bulbs for, and provide a high luminosity output per watt. Stadium lights are more likely to be the metal halide variety, which create an extremely bright bluish light. This is fantastic for illuminating large areas, but the bulbs don't last and the light pollution is quite severe. For both halogen and metal halide bulbs, a short life span leads to regular replacements and thus high maintenance costs.
In an increasingly environmentally conscious society, there's been a growing trend toward eco-friendly LED lights. These have been developed into floodlights of a comparable brightness to the regular kind while using considerably less energy. For most consumers, the overall cost is paramount, and only by weighing up the power output, initial price, and operating costs of the different options can people make well-informed decisions.
A basic 10W LED floodlight gives off 700 lumens, slightly less bright than a 100W halogen bulb. At 30W, LEDs can reach 2,400 lumens, comparable to a 350W halogen, while a 50W LED floodlight is almost as bright as the 500W halogen alternative, creating 4,000 lumens, which is more than enough for domestic security. In comparison to metal halide, a 100W LED lamp can confidently replace the 400W counterpart. Overall, a lower wattage means lower power consumption -- a good thing for driving down costs and environmental impact.
The initial cost of an LED floodlight is its only downfall. For around $75, you can buy a 30W LED lamp, but you can get hold of a 350W halogen lamp for about $12. The 100W LED lamp will set you back up to $400, while the 400W metal halide lamp can be purchased for anywhere from $75 to $230. This seems to be a considerable disadvantage, but a quick look at the running costs reveals the true benefits of LEDs.
Every source of comparison in running costs suggests great savings associated with LED floodlights. So while a 500W halogen bulb can be found for under $15, when it's used for eight hours a day, it would not only need to be replaced every couple of months, but would cost $270 a year in electricity. The 50W LED may well cost $125 or so, but will last for up to 50,000 hours (nearly two years at eight hours per day) and cost about $27 a year to run. That would be an average of $93 per year, about a third of the halogen running cost alone.
Clearly an investment, an LED floodlight is a wise choice for economic and environmental lighting. The directional lighting reduces pollution, the instant on-off action increases efficiency, and the extremely long life span and 90 percent reduction in energy consumption will reduce overall costs. The Central New York Raceway Park was the first place to introduce LED floodlights in 2012, and it seems the UK is keen to get involved with Premier League football clubs already inquiring about making the change.
I've been trying to invest in LED lighting for almost a decade now. The promise of higher MTBF has been (to date) marketing hyperbole. They should last longer (in theory at least), but in reality they simply don't. Indoor and outdoor are both the same. Incompatibility with existing home automation equipment (most of which, such as X10, has simple Triac outputs) limits their usefulness even more (and NO, dimmable doesn't mean compatible).
The real change in the market has been their dropping cost along with their increasing lumens. This makes the disconnect between the MTBF claims and reality a little more palatable.
There has been some histry in regards to "eco-friendly" claims, where claims didn't hold up to the test of time.
I am specifically refering to the earlier compact fluroescent bulbs, which were suppose to last 10 years, but in reality only lasted about a year in many common usage situations. At $10/each, the user was expected to invest a substantial amount of money in a technology that had not withstood the test of time.
LED lighting certainly is an interesting technology, but it has not proven its true longevity yet. Government mandates are the driving force behind LED lighting, rather than successful real-world success. It has also forced manufaturing of light sources to another country. So, how much should we trust this technology?
True, there are applications where it has really proven cost effective, such as in traffic lights. But, my advice is to allow others to test this high-dollar technology that is rapidly changing. Holding off a year or two will dramatically reduce the cost, and increase confidence in the investment.
Yes, Chuck, it really clearly shows the difference--one of the best descriptions I've seen so far and gives a good perspective on why making the switch is more energy efficient and cost effective.
Excellent analysis. Even with all of the push behind LEDs, not too many decisions will be based on the facts (cost plus operating expenses) although you would expect commercial projects to take these factors into consideration. Thanks.
It would be interesting to see a video showing Central New York Raceway Park before (with halogen) and after (with LED). The look and feel of the lights is very different.
I like the comparisons between the LEDs and halogen bulbs. It really puts in perspective and makes me wonder why I haven't been using more LEDs. Great article.
Obviously LSDs have huge future potenial and hey are more and more popular with general users,however the price is still abit high. Also all hat circuitry inside has to be somehow hadled after he bulb is done.
Thanks for this article, Emily. It's good to see the potential for LEDs on this kind of grand scale, and I like your cost-comparison breakdown. I think sometimes people just see the initial price tag and think short-term without realizing the long-term cost savings. While it's good to live in the moment, when it comes to saving energy and reducing any type of pollution, I think it's far better to think ahead a bit.
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