A wide choice of colour temperatures and High CRI (Colour rendering index) make LEDs an ideal choice for landscape Lighting. A wide choice of colour temperature allows the designer to play with the colour of light and bring out the real texture of the landscape and the façade, whereas a High CRI provides sharpness to the Landscape .The choice of colour temperature (i.e. the shades of white coloured light) is the most narrower in LEDS and only with LED Lighting one can achieve a CRI of as high as 97.
Modern day advancements in optics and plastic technology and their integration with LED’s have resulted in a perfect combination of opto-electronics. Another aspect of LED’s that scores above the conventional sources of light is that LEDs are more rugged in nature and non filament source of light i.e. LEDs do not use any filaments and are less fragile in nature as compared to conventional source, so potting a waterproofing agent. Like epoxy or silicon on the Light source is very easy and comparatively safer if compared to the conventional sources.
The small size of the light source, in case of the LED makes it very easy to make efficient luminaries’ in a compact size and for example making a linear wall washer for façade lighting or a fountain light to cover the fountain is only possible if the source of light is small and discrete and can be connected in a parallel fashion.
Low voltage operation – The operating voltage of the LED is below 4v DC unlike any other form of lighting and to run it on 220v we generally make use of a SMPS ( Switching mode power supply ) to bring down the voltage and convert AC Current to DC Current and in case of any form of outdoor lighting especially any light that is in direct contact to water it is always advisable to run it on a lower voltage direct current to avoid any fatalities in case of current leakage, in case of conventional sources we have to make use of special inverter circuits to step up the voltage and convert it to alternating current. This increases the cost of the luminaries’, reduces the safety and cuts down life of the fixture .On the other hand, LEDs are a much safer alternative that runs on a low voltage (by its property ) and are very safe in its operation .
Low maintenance –The life of the light source in a garden light is very important owing to the basic fact that the location of a garden light , generally speaking is in tricky areas let’s say for example an underwater fountain light or an underwater burial installed in a swimming pool is very difficult to replace because it will need the entire pool to be emptied in order for it to be replaced or let’s say for instance a wall washer / flood light installed to highlight the façade of a building at a height of 60 feet would require a crane to replace the light in most cases the cost of replacing the light is higher than the light itself .
Longevity is a basic criteria for choosing the kind of Light in case of a Landscape Light and the LED Light Scores above the other sources of lights on this parameter.
Better and brighter light – The key function of landscape lighting is security and beautification of an area. LED’s being the brightest form of light achieving tremendous efficiency of 170-180 lumens per watt delivers safe light like no other source. Another feature of LED Light that scores above conventional sources like metal halides and halogens is that LED Lights are not prone to any burn outs or blasts at the light source- due to short circuits or overheating conditions at maximum the LED Light fuses in case of any misfortunate incidents.
The CRI of LED lights is again highest known among the various sources be it halogen /metal halides / fluorescent sources and owing to its very small size it can be very easily integrated with secondary lenses and optical reflectors ,so the quality of light obtained from led’s is also the highest comparatively. Aesthetically speaking by using LED Lights the result generated will be the best.
Environment Friendly – LED’s are mercury free and do not emit any UV or IR radiations and are ROHS compliant i.e. they are rid of any harmful substances like mercury, cadmium etc. Unlike the other sources of light like metal halides that emit UV and have a high cadmium content or fluorescent lights that have a lot of mercury or halogen lights that generate a lot of IR radiations contribute a lot in polluting the environment and global warming. Since landscape lights are installed near the trees / in water and are close to nature this gives all the more reason of choosing LED lights over conventional sources.
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