Light emitting diodes, more commonly known as LEDs, were born in the seventies, making their first appearance as calculator and computer indicator lights. Today, we are more familiar with them for lighting up our Christmas trees and seasonal decorations with a power source that is both safe and economical. But there is much more than meets the eye to these fancifully, delicate lights that are poised to become the future of lighting according to Matthew Ostrove, founder of Luco Light Systems INC. The two year old company is bringing the many benefits of LEDs to homes and commercial buildings in the Winnipeg marketplace.
Says Ostrove, “LED was developed in the early 1970’s to create a light source that eventually through drastic advancements dramatically reduced electricity costs. LED does not emit UV, infrared, mercury or ozone.” And in today’s marketplace, LED’s represent a perfect solution for the green environment of the 21st century that places high value on efficiency and safety.
Ostrove points out that today’s generation of LEDs are technological marvels compared to their forerunners. Research and development through different countries’ government funding went into advancing the LED industry. The result has been the creation of brighter LEDs with even more efficient operation which is still in motion. Says Ostrove, “The technological LED advancements are changing dramatically every three months.”
It was almost inevitable that modern LEDs should emerge as a lighting source for homes and public places. They offer a unique quality of light along with remarkable energy savings that are finding favour with clients who are looking for something different to illuminate their space. “There are different LED chip companies in the world and quality is not the same across the board so make sure to ask before you buy.” LEDs like Cree, Nichia and Luxeon are the main chip leaders in the market.
LED strips are particularly versatile in the kitchen, serving as both accent and task lighting. The strips consist of three types: I-linears that are one foot long and are used over cabinets; Erona strips that are shorter to fit inside cabinets and china cabinets and I-Displays that are 4 feet long and can be used over kitchen sinks to replace fluorescent units.
The strips can be either hardwired by an electrician or can be powered by an electrical outlet. Says Ostrove, “The lifetime of the LED bulb is not compromised when it is turned on and off and can last a remarkable 50,000 hours or more. This translates into a lifetime of 10 to 13 years based on a usage of 8 hours per day. LEDs are safe around children and give off only minimal heat.”
Paul and Charmaine Lions are recent customers who have chosen to install LEDs in their kitchen and have been very satisfied with the results. “We installed LEDs over and under the cupboards, says Paul, “and have found that the combination of lightings has almost made our halogen track lighting obsolete. We particularly like the lighting under the kitchen counter. When we entertain, we place the food on the counter and it gives really good lighting for people to help themselves. It displays well for those types of occasions. We are already considering other places in the house where LEDs would fit in, particularly in our TV room, probably under some shelving. I’m actually looking forward to the next electricity bill to see what difference it will make in our usage.”
There are many other areas in and around the house where LEDs can shine. Ostrove says, “They can be used as backdrops for rec room bars where they are installed behind frosted glass and provide a sequential colour change for accent lighting. Favorite works of art or prized statues and trophies can be lit from above and because LEDs don’t have UV, colours will not be affected.”
LED bulbs can also replace the halogen and incandescent lamps via a retrofit over the garage doors transforming a standard 90 Watt par to 7 Watt LED while cutting down on tremendous amounts of electricity.
And says Ostrove, these multi-talented lights can also perform in greenhouses. “You need the red LED which can actually grow vegetables four times faster than normal while the blue LED will accelerate the growth of fruits and green LED to make it its natural colour.”
“We are starting to develop relationships with the University of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro to introduce the greenhouses to artificial LED lighting as a means to grow produce all year around.”
Professor Qiang (Chong) Zhang who is Head of the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba comments,” Winter greenhouse production in northern regions is generally prohibitive because of the high energy consumption in heating and lighting. We have been working on developing a solar energy greenhouse technology to solve the heating problem. The LED technology will potentially solve the lighting problem. We plan to test the LED lighting systems in our Solar Energy Greenhouses this winter.”
Ostrove concludes, “The future of this source of lighting is most exciting as its versatility is unending and always changing to make it more efficient and desirable. Although the initial cost of LEDs is higher, the benefits and pay back period are worth the investment.”
Luco products can be found at: Superlite, Total Lighting, Robinson Lighting & Global Electrical.