Why opting for LED lights is best

With the way brands and companies market their wares and products these days, the average consumer is bound to be skeptical about what is being advertised or promoted.

Is a bigger screen in a smartphone truly better than opting for one with a more traditionally sized screen? Or is a newer handset model more robust in actually being of service to users than last year’s releases?

With different companies promising that their products are better than the competition, consumer markets from different parts of the world can’t help but feel confused with what to get, oftentimes left doubting about  the actual value inherent in a number of recently developed and improved technologies.

LED lights would be one good example.

LED lighting, at a glance

You may have noticed how LED has somewhat become the “in thing” today, generally found as a featured hardware specification in television sets, computer screens, laptops and other portable consumer products.

You may have also seen a number of LED light bulbs being advertised as the next biggest thing, with LED bulbs essentially there to take the place of the more traditional variations of light bulbs and other lighting options.

If you happen to be sick and tired of seeing or hearing about LED technology as the next best thing, don’t let the advertising campaigns of product manufacturers dampen the light LED technology offers to you.

The simple truth is: LED lights are actually better than its predecessor standards, bearing only upsides and none of the downsides experienced in other illumination options.

Short for light emitting diode, LED technology has been around for a while now, with its practical benefits only recently gaining mass appeal.

Originally purported as indicator lights for remote controls, kitchen appliances and even electronic calculators, LED lights are essentially low power consuming lights that are small in form and less liable to succumb to the overheating rut older generation light bulbs are notorious for.

Though far from being impervious from heating up, LED lights are generally cooler when compared against halogen lamps and smaller in size when compared against traditional filament-based light bulbs, requiring significantly lesser power than halogen and/or old-school bulbs.

In jotting down the benefits users can gain from using LED lights, the technology only has upsides to offer, proving it as the best choice for illumination today.

So if you find yourself sick and tired of hearing about LED, don’t. The technology is actually increasingly beneficial, and ignoring it because of over-eager advertisements would be a bad move to do.

Nova Scotia Makes the Switch to LED Lights

It’s official—the Province of Nova Scotia in Canada has passed a law that will mandate the conversion of all 120,000 roadway lights in the Province to energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights, an initiative that’s expect to help gain $5 million in annual energy savings once completed.

The project, estimated to be completed by 2023, sets Nova Scotia apart as the first jurisdiction in all of North America to make the use of energy-efficient LED lights for roadway lighting mandatory.

Nova Scotia Energy Minister Charlie Parker officially finalized the amendments to the Province’s Energy-Efficient Appliances Regulations on September 14. He points out that with the transition to LED-powered roadway lights, the entire Province could stand to save millions of dollars through the sheer savings LEDs bring to the table, as they use less than half the electricity of the current lighting setup.

Moreover, Parker notes that this reduced consumption of energy could pave the way for better air quality for the Province and a smaller carbon footprint on the environment.

Nova Scotia is estimated to have 120,000 streetlights, and according to the new regulations, Nova Scotiat Power will have to convert all of them to LEDs by 2019. Municipalities on the other hand, will have until December 2022. Nova Scotia Power owns and operates the majority of all streetlights within the Province, while the remaining 10 percent of roadway lighting are under the jurisdiction of Nova Scotia’s municipalities.

The plan to change Nova Scotia’s streetlights to LEDs was spearheaded by Province Premier Darrell Dexter, Province Premier Darrell Dexter in 2011. The announcement comes in the heels of many other communities in North America and the rest of the world making moves to  make the switch to LED lights, due to their increased durability (leading to fewer maintenance costs) and superb energy efficiency.

3M Company Joins the LED Craze

Conglomerate 3M Company is joining the LED revolution, coming out with its first consumer LED light bulb, which it promises to be better than any other LED on the market.

As is the trend with most LEDs on the market these days, 3M’s high-tech bulb is designed to look just like a regular incandescent light bulb on the outside. 3M Company claims the bulb has a 25-year lifespan, provided the bulb is used 3 hours per day. And once more, like most LEDs on the market, 3M’s LED bulb comes with a $25 price tag, which might not be all that appealing for the conglomerate’s customers.