LEDs, or light–emitting diodes, are semiconductor devices that when an electrical current is passed through them produce visible light. LEDs are a type of Solid State Lighting (SSL), as are light–emitting polymers (LEPs) and organic light–emitting diodes (OLEDs). The useful lifespan of LED lighting products in NJ is much longer than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or CFL. This is because Encore LEDs usually do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience lumen depreciation, where the amount of light produced decreases and light color appearance can shift over time. Instead of basing the useful life of an LED product on the time it takes for half (50%) of a large group of lights to burn out (as is the case with traditional sources), LED product “lifetime” is set based on a prediction of when the light output decreases 30 percent.
Because Encore LED lighting systems don’t emanate heat the way an incandescent or halogen light bulb does, the heat produced from the power supplied into the product must be drawn away from the LEDs by a heatsink. A heatsink is a passive device that absorbs the produced heat and disseminates it into it’s surroundings. That keeps LED lights from overheating and failing. In New Jersey, thermal management is probably the most vital factor in the successful performance of an LED product over its lifetime. This is because the higher the temperature the LED lights operate at, the more quickly the light will degrade, which shortens the lifespan. This is why in NY, CT and NJ Encore LED sells the most well known and reliable LED light fixtures and assemblies.
LED products use a variety of unique heat sink designs and configurations to manage heat, so they may look very different from each other. Regardless of the heat sink design, all LED products that have earned the ENERGY STAR have been tested to ensure that they properly manage the heat so that the light output is properly maintained through the end of its rated life.
Learn about LED lighting and how it is different in several ways from incandescent and compact fluorescent lighting. About LED lighting products sold at Encore – they use light emitting diodes to produce light very efficiently. An electrical current passed through semiconductor material illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs. The heat produced is absorbed into the heat sink and safely removed from the LED to increase the light’s lifespan.
Typically, LED colors include amber, red, green, and blue. Colored LEDs are widely used as signal lights and indicator lights, like the power button on a computer. A lesser know fact is that “white” LED light doesn’t truly exist. To get the kind of white lights we use for lighting our homes and offices, different color LEDs are covered with a phosphor material that converts the color of the light to white. The phosphor is the yellow substance you can see on many LED products.
LEDs are now being incorporated into fixtures and retrofit kits for general lighting uses in New York because they are small and provide unique design opportunities. Some enclosed, complete Encore LED light fixtures have LEDs built–in as a permanent light source. LEDs are “directional” light sources so they emit light in a specific direction, unlike incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs which emit heat and light in all directions. For this reason, LED lighting sold in Fairfield, NJ is able to use light and energy more efficiently in many applications. Incandescent bulbs produce light using electricity to heat a metal filament until it becomes “white” hot and as a result, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat, which is essentially wasted energy. LED replacement fixtures save on energy that others waste.