Considering LED?

When LED technology was first introduced into the landscape industry, it was not immediately accepted. It was such a new idea (and the cost was so high) most industry professionals were skeptical and thus hesitant.

As time has passed, and we have all been further educated, LED has quickly become the normal light source of choice for most contractors in our industry.

If you have not yet tried LED light sources, I would encourage you to do so. However- be careful. Not all LED lamps are created equal:

·         Some products are not rated for totally enclosed fixtures.

·         Consider the warranty.

o   Read the fine print.

o   Some products provide a long residential warranty, but the commercial warranty is only for a brief period.

·         Some LED products come with drivers that need to be installed before the fixture can be installed.

o   Failure to do so may cause the light source to flicker or cycle.

·         Some products require a magnetic transformer only, and usually electronic transformers require a minimum of a 20-watt load to function.

These are some of the things to be aware of when selecting a product. LED products, when used properly, can provide instant power savings, longer lamp life, and peace of mind to homeowners and contractors.

Typically, the end user can save up to 80% of their current electrical costs. For instance, a halogen MR16 20-watt lamp is replaced by a 4-5 watt LED. A 20-watt bi-pin or single contact lamp is replaced by a 2-3 watt equivalent. Most products are rated for 35-50,000 hours of run time. This rating means that if a system runs for an average of 6 hours per night, it would be 22 years before the lamps would terminate illumination.

Unlike halogen and incandescent light sources, most LED products come with some type of warranty. This gives the industry professional some backup for the installed product, should there be a problem. A wide variety of color temperatures, lamps, and integrated products are available as options.

With the inclusion of LED options, a contractor now has plenty of tools to provide the best system possible. If you are still skeptical, we invite you to give it some consideration. You will be happy with the result.