How LED Grow Lights Recycle your Money

By: Charlene Rennick

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode.  This kind of bulb has been popular for decades to illuminate clock displays, stereo equipment, flashlights and outdoor-lit advertisements.  Because they emit more light per watt than regular incandescent light bulbs, they have a potential to save hydro dollars and excess energy consumption.

Recently, advancements in LED technology have produced more sizes and shapes of LED bulbs increasing their application base as a regular household lighting device.  They leave less of a carbon footprint than an incandescent bulb and do not produce much heat when lit.  The most widely-known benefit of LED bulbs is that they produce light for a longer period of time.  LEDs have an average lifespan of 35 000 to 50 000 hours as opposed to 1000 to 2000 incandescent or 30 000 fluorescent hours.

LED bulbs have several less obvious advantages.  They can be used more efficiently as a colour bulb than other types of lights because they do not require additional filters to change the hue.  Because of their shape, they lend themselves more readily to being direction-focused; whereas, incandescent bulbs need additional accessories to train the light emissions. LED bulbs have a solid structure; they are not particularly delicate and are not as susceptible to electrical surges or shocks as incandescent, fluorescent and halogen bulbs.  For lighting that requires frequent on/off phases, LED bulbs are more resistant to the wear and tear than fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.  This makes LED bulbs a better bet for use with a timer. In addition, LEDs lose brightness over a long period of time.  This gradual dimming has the advantage of providing a warning period before a replacement will be necessary; it avoids the risks associated with an abrupt burn-out.  With some applications, the sudden absence of light creates environmental damage or human safety hazards due to spontaneous darkness. LEDs light up quickly and are mercury-free.  Overall, they perform better over time than fluorescent, incandescent and halogen bulbs.

Known disadvantages of LED bulbs are that they are more expensive at the outset to purchase without considering their long-term savings advantage.  They cannot be used in dimmer switches and can be subject to extremes in temperatures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink).  Another drawback is that LED bulbs generate light from a different part of the spectrum.  This causes objects to be perceived as an altered colour from that which would be produced if the same object was viewed using natural sunlight or incandescent light.  Sometimes, the electrical current source may need to be adjusted to accommodate the LED bulb. Presently, there is some concern that the blue light content of LEDs may conflict with safety regulations.  This issue is called the blue-light hazard and it may have a negative effect on the eyes.

In addition to their longer life span, energy saving benefit and reduced noise, LED lights eliminate the need for a ballast which is necessary to control the voltage.  If both Metal Halide and HPS bulbs are in use, more than one type of ballast is needed; thus, substituting LED lights potentially eliminates more than one piece of equipment.

The use of LED lights as a substitute for HID grow lights in indoor gardens looks promising, however its practical application for hobby gardeners is probably a few years away yet.