Energy conservation has always been a hot topic and even more so in lighting these days. It isn’t just about conservation though, if you haven’t yet made up your mind. It is also about saving money.
Consider a classic look like neon signs. Neon is high voltage and is a relatively big draw on power. If a neon tube fails, especially if it is only a part of the overall sign, it can be a real bear to fix and replace. While there are many craftsmen around, good neon light craftsmen are also becoming a vanishing species with the advent of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology and their increased market penetration.
The warmth of neon lights has been a challenge for LED to emulate, but like any newer technology, once there is greater market penetration there is growth in the knowledge base. Things then improve and quite quickly at times. I recall reading way back that Stephen Stills, an original Buffalo Springfield founder, was asked to evaluate digital sound versus analog. (Okay, so I just dated myself!) He told the engineers working on it that the sound quality “wasn’t there yet”. Many would argue that it still isn’t, but digital sound has come a very long way, and unless one is a real audiophile, it is doubtful that one could tell the difference between analog and digital. And so it goes with LED lighting versus neon.
Take a look at these samples below. I have shown this photo to a number of folks, and each one has remarked at how beautiful the neon lights are. Except they are not neon. They are LED.
So many technical improvements have been made in LED lighting as well as in the flexibility of their use, that it is much easier and more cost effective to go with LED than with other forms of lighting.
Consider the power side for the moment. One study noted that if energy costs were at 12 cents/kilowatt-hour, the approximate cost of running an LED light for a year would be about $80; while the equivalent usage for a neon light would be $200 and for a fluorescent it would be about $320. Granted that on a near daily basis (6 days per week), the neon would be only 64 cents per day, but couldn’t you do something else with the $120 you’d be saving for the year? And think of the fact that no business has only a single light; so the savings does get multiplied. A single fluorescent light might require 4 times more power than the equivalent LED; while a neon light might take 2.7 times more power than that LED.
“But neon lights are so romantic.” True, and while fluorescent simply cannot compete on that basis, LEDs now can. LEDs can operate in nearly any environment of cold or heat or humidity and still last a long time and look great in the process. If they do fail, they are easier to fix on site and at lower cost. Neon signs may require a trip to the shop for repair.
If one is worrying about environmental impact, LEDs are smarter here as well. Neon lights can contain a tiny amount of mercury. Though we refer to this entire category of lighting as neon; only the red lights use neon gas. The other colors use argon and other Noble gases (helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), radon (Rn), and oganesson (Og)) as well as some phosphor and mercury to create the various colors.
If you wish to have beautiful color in your signs or displays and wish to keep the electric bill down – go Light Emitting Diode (LED)! Give us a call, and we will be happy to help out.
by Tom Edwards, Liberty Signs, tom@liberty-signs.com or call 864 417 1787.