Lumen Depreciation

As LED technology continues to evolve, so too grows the efficiency and lifespans of LED lamps. Because LEDs have such long lives (estimated at 35,000 to 100,000 hours), it’s rather challenging to measure precisely how long they really do last — few groups have the patience or resources to measure an LED in various environments for 5 or more years. However, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is currently working on such a project.

Without a predictable failure point, manufacturers decided to define LED life as the amount of time it takes for the light to fade to a certain percentage of its original strength. “Lumen depreciation is widely understood in the lighting community and is not unique to LEDs. But it doesn’t come into play when you have a light source that only lasts hundreds or thousands of hours, as with incandescents. On average, incandescents fail before the eye notices a difference in their output,” says Philips Marketing Communications Director Steve Landau.

People in an average office setting can’t tell there is a change in illumination until a lamp has dropped 30% in output. So it is not objectionable to wait until the LED is at 70% of its original spec before you replace the lamp.

This designation is represented by the letter ‘L’ followed by a set of numbers such as:

L70 = time to 70% of original light output. There are other ratings, but this is the most common rating and is universally accepted as the standard to measuring LED life.

For colored accent and exterior lighting, the lumen acceptable lumen drop-off threshold is often considered to be 50%.

Still, even these numbers are highly variable depending on how and where the LED was operated. Things that may influence the LED’s life are line current, ambient temperature, the type of luminaire and the quality of the material used. These differences make defining a LED’s service life even more challenging, since the lamp’s environment can drastically influence its lifespan.

Simply, we can’t determine the service life of an LED without considering its housing and application. This is the major reason why the NIST is conducting their LED study. They are monitoring LEDs in various scenarios with the goal of uncovering a reliable method of projecting how long LEDs will last.

HOW LONG is 100,000 HOURS?

Whether you believe 100,000 hours is realistic or not, I’ve included a chart to make understanding the life of a 100,000 hour rated bulb easier.

Hours of Operation: 100,000 hours is:
24 hours a day               11.4 years
18 hours per day           14.8 years
12 hours per day             22.8 years
8 hours per day              34.2 years

Although the lighting industry is still learning about the efficiency of LEDs, what we currently know holds real promise for major energy savings in the future. And while the LED bulb you pick off the store shelf may not entirely live up to its 100,000 hour rating, it will certainly outperform most traditional bulbs.

February 27, 2014

Kitchen Inspiration

Here’s a fabulous traditional kitchen with a modern feel that successfully mixes different materials from full slab stone backsplash and dual tone tile walls to pro-style range and rustic farm sink.

I think the styling went a little overboard and I’m not a huge fan of the knob placement. But, overall, I think this is a gorgeous kitchen. What do you think?

February 24, 2014April 14, 2019

Grow at Home

Spring is starting to creep into everyone’s minds and with that the thought of fresh herbs and vegetables. While it is possible to sow your seeds with snow on the ground, many areas of the country are still too frozen with the harsh arctic blast and ten named winter storms.

Some gardeners use a cold frame, which is a box-like structure with a clear glass or plastic top, to get their seedlings started. However, if you don’t have the space or find it a little too dirty, there is another option – the Urban Cultivator.

The Urban Cultivator Residential is a dishwasher-sized appliance with interior grow lights. Inside are racks that hold flats designed to contain one of three growing mediums — a Sure to Grow mat (suretogrow.com), sterilized soil or landscape fabric. In these, users can grow 50-some greens — including beet-tops, baby broccoli, wheat grass, pea sprouts, radishes, mustard greens, lentils, nasturtiums — as well as any number of herbs.

The unit is not difficult to install and requires a water connection similar to a dishwasher. You can choose between different door screen options (clear, frost, half-tone and dark) and even add a custom panel to match your cabinetry.

The Urban Cultivator will allow you to grow fresh herbs 365 days a year and know that they are pesticide free and healthy for your family. The cost savings for growing your own micro-greens can be as high as 90% according to research.

Your Urban Cultivator can be operated between 55 and 90 degrees with a relative humidity between 30% to 60%. The automated system does all the work and provides measured water to and from each grow tray. If your unit is set up as a stand-alone unit, you will need to empty and refill the water reservoir once a week when the indicator light is on. Four humidity domes are also included with the unit to aid in starting seeds.

A larger commercial unit is also available for restaurants and cooking schools where larger supplies are demanded. Besides herbs, small vegetables such as cherry tomatoes can also be grown. Pricing starts at $2,200.

You might also like: Cannabis Appliances for the Home

February 19, 2014

LEDs and Carpet

LED integration into surfaces is growing by leaps and bounds and stands to add an exciting dimension to interior design. Let’s look at what is making news.

The Cell+LED Carpet from Lama Concept

It’s hard to believe it’s been 7 years since this carpet made it’s debut at the Paris Airshow fitted into the isles of the Airbus A350. Since then it’s been used in various commercial applications and even in the Land Rover LRX Concept.

The carpets and rugs are made from 100% wool felt strips that are formed around eye-like forms – like knots in wood. Some of these knots are replaced with LED lights and oriented with the direction of the strips. The carpets can be created to form a directional path with the LEDs, or the lights can just be placed randomly for a glittering array.

Although this carpet might not work with every decor, it’s an innovate approach to flooring that opens the door to endless design possibilities.

Phillips and Desso

Two Dutch-based companies, Phillips Lighting and carpet maker Desso, recently announced a partnership to create light-transmitting carpet–smart flooring capable of displaying all kinds of information.

Desso envisions the new light emitting LED carpet as serving several purposes. One would be to quickly and intuitively guide people through buildings including to designated safety routes and exits. Another would be to add to the ambiance and atmosphere of public spaces. The carpet would add “lighting, design and color” as the joint statement from both companies explains.

For now, the partnership is limited to the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and the official product is slated for sometime in 2014. Who knows, one day we may be able to turn an average living room into a disco lounge with the touch of our phones or tablets and use the same system with our fire alarms enabling it to send a signal to specifically light the best way out of our homes.