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Sustainable Lighting

Efficient lighting is quickly proving to be a necessity for sustainable architecture. In 2009, a typical 13W LED lamp emitted 450 to 650 lumens, which is the equivalent to a standard 40W incandescent bulb. By 2011, LEDs became much more efficient and there were 6W LED lamps available that could easily have achieved the same results. A standard 40W incandescent bulb has an expected lifespan of 1000 hours, whereas an LED can continue to operate for at least 50 times longer at 50,000 hours.

Energy Consumption

In the US, one kilowatt per hour of electricity will create 1.34 pounds (610g) of CO2 emissions. Assuming that the average light bulb is on for 10 hours per day, one 40W incandescent bulb will create 196 pounds (86kg) of CO2 emissions per year. The 6W LED equivalent will only create 30 pounds (14kg) of CO2 over the same time span. You can reduce a building’s carbon footprint 85% by exchanging all of the incandescent bulbs for LEDs.

Economic Sustainability

LED light bulbs can be a cost-effective option for lighting a home or office space, mainly because of their extremely long life spans. Consumer use of LEDs as a replacement for conventional lighting systems was previously hampered by the high cost and low efficiency of available products. In 2009, DOE testing results showed an average efficacy of 35lm/W (lumens-per-watt), below that of a typical CFL, and as low as 9lm/W, worse than a standard incandescent. However, as of 2011, there are LED bulbs available as efficient as 150lm/W and even inexpensive low-end models typically exceed 50lm/W. The high initial cost of commercial LED bulbs is due primarily to the expensive sapphire substrate, which is vital to the production process. The sapphire apparatus must be coupled with a mirror-like collector to reflect light that would be otherwise wasted.

Sustainable Lighting

Efficient lighting is quickly proving to be a necessity for sustainable architecture. In 2009, a typical 13W LED lamp emitted 450 to 650 lumens, which is the equivalent to a standard 40W incandescent bulb. By 2011, LEDs became much more efficient and there were 6W LED lamps available that could easily have achieved the same results. A standard 40W incandescent bulb has an expected lifespan of 1000 hours, whereas an LED can continue to operate for at least 50 times longer at 50,000 hours.

Energy Consumption

In the US, one kilowatt per hour of electricity will create 1.34 pounds (610g) of CO2 emissions. Assuming that the average light bulb is on for 10 hours per day, one 40W incandescent bulb will create 196 pounds (86kg) of CO2 emissions per year. The 6W LED equivalent will only create 30 pounds (14kg) of CO2 over the same time span. You can reduce a building’s carbon footprint 85% by exchanging all of the incandescent bulbs for LEDs.

Economic Sustainability

LED light bulbs can be a cost-effective option for lighting a home or office space, mainly because of their extremely long life spans. Consumer use of LEDs as a replacement for conventional lighting systems was previously hampered by the high cost and low efficiency of available products. In 2009, DOE testing results showed an average efficacy of 35lm/W (lumens-per-watt), below that of a typical CFL, and as low as 9lm/W, worse than a standard incandescent. However, as of 2011, there are LED bulbs available as efficient as 150lm/W and even inexpensive low-end models typically exceed 50lm/W. The high initial cost of commercial LED bulbs is due primarily to the expensive sapphire substrate, which is vital to the production process. The sapphire apparatus must be coupled with a mirror-like collector to reflect light that would be otherwise wasted.