Light Emitting Diode (LED) – Lighting Technology of The Future




Although on the face of it, LED lights appear costly, they are still extremely popular because they are not only strong, lasting as much as 22 years, but also excellent energy savers, converting 80% of energy into light.

As against this, usual luminous bulbs have very short life and also consume a lot of power. That is why electricians strongly suggest LED lights. What is LED?

LED is an abbreviation for light emitting diode. They are encapsulated in tiny plastic bulbs that are just about one to two mm. As opposed to standard incandescent bulbs, LEDs do not have filament that can burn and emit light. They emit light when electricity passes through them releasing photons in an external direction.

Although LED light was red in color when it was first introduced, it is now available in extensive range of colors covering the entire color spectrum. These unique features make LED light most suitable for a large number of applications.

History of Light Emitting Diode

The history of LED can be traced to the year 1907 when the British scientist H.J. Round discovered ‘electroluminescence’ as a phenomenon. His discovery was followed by Oleg Vladimirovich Losev creating the first LED in 1927. However, it was several decades later that the first red.

LED was produced at General Electric Company by Nick Holonyak Jr. in 1962. In view of his outstanding contribution, Holonyak is, at times, called the ‘father of the LED’. However, the technology that was adopted at that time in making LEDs was prohibitively expensive making it unfeasible to produce on a large scale. It was only in 1970 that LEDs came into prominence.

Consume Less Electricity

Even though LEDs are more expensive than the standard light bulbs, people still prefer to change over to them because of their energy saving potential. LEDs not only emit more light per watt than a normal incandescent bulb, but also convert 80% of energy into light.

On the other hand, an ordinary incandescent bulb converts into light at only 20% efficiency. Besides lower energy consumption, it has a longer life with over 100,000 hours depending upon the heat and light factors and is more robust than a normal incandescent bulb. This means that a LED light bulb lasts an unbelievable 22 years.

What Can LED Do?

As compared to ordinary bulbs, LEDs are more robust and dependable. The plastic housing makes LEDs better shock resistance products. As they can emit colored lights without any filters, LEDs can also be turned into diffused lights whenever required, besides generating a little heat.

Surprisingly, the emission efficiency of LEDs increases in colder temperatures. As LED lights can be switched on or off quickly, they are ideally suited for use when cycling.

Earlier, LED lights were used as indicator lights for appliances. However, with the increase in energy efficiency and reduced costs, LEDs are now being used almost everywhere from aviation, automobiles to traffic signals.

LEDs being small in size are widely used in circuit boards. As they do not generate excessive heat they are also employed in making ‘heat sensitive’ products.

The LED has made rapid strides since its introduction in 1927. Even though relatively more expensive than the standard lighting, its energy saving potential and other strengths of the LED light make them a favorite product of many individuals, electricians and industries. They find variety of applications in televisions, computers or even in airplanes.

9 Things To Remember When Installing A Home Solar Power Kit




As the Government is providing support in the form of tax incentives and subsidized equipment, many homeowners might be thinking of going green by installing solar power kit on their home to not only contribute to environment preservation but save on their energy bills as well. But the solar power system need spare space to install the solar panels known as installer.

This short blog post provides the following 9 points that should be kept in mind when deciding where to put the solar power kit:

1. Solar panels need to be installed facing sunshine.

In Northern Hemisphere, the Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels should face south to get maximum sunshine. So it doesn’t matter whether you install your panels to your rooftop or on the ground or on out building such as shed or garage, the only deciding factor should be availability of south facing section to get maximum possible sunshine.

2. Any obstruction to sunshine decreases the panel’s efficiency.

So it should be taken into account that the place you are considering to install the panels shouldn’t have shades resulting from your trees, your neighbors’ trees, vents, air conditioning units, and any other obstructions that could shade your panels.

The solar pathfinder can be used in finding the sun’s angle changes over the course of the day as well as in different seasons round the year. These solar pathfinders can be obtained from most of the solar stores.

3. The life span of a solar system can be around 20 to 50 years.

So they are going to provide you energy for a long period of time. Obviously, you should keep in mind that over the period of time the panels need to be shade free. So it would be good to keep your panels away from your trees and bushes unless you are prepared to trim them.

4. Generally solar panels are installed at 45 degree.

At this angle, they tend to clean themselves but in some areas, where dirty rain, heavy dust or snow accumulates, the solar panels need to be manually cleaned using garden hose or a long handled broom. So if you put them on roof tops it might be very inconvenient and dangerous to clean them.

5. You should have a rough idea about the space requirements.

The common take around one square foot of space per ten watts capacity generation so if you planning a 3,000 watts capacity installation for your home you will need 300 square foot area.

You will also need 3’ by 3’ area near your electronic meters to install the necessary components. Moreover, if you want a batter bank as well, you will need space equivalent to large chest freezer.

6. The angle of the sun changes .

Over the course of the say as well as during different seasons over the year. The tracking system automatically follows the sun and maintains the optimum 90 degree angle to the sun. But if you planning to install them without a tracking system you can adjust the angels manually or fix them at the angle equal to the latitude.

For example, Spokane, Washington which measures 48 degree latitude will fix the panels at 48 degrees from horizontal. Adjustable panels produce more energy so it will be good idea to keep them at optimal angle.

7. Solar panels produce direct current.

DC is prone to transmission loss so it requires more expensive high quality wire. Naturally, if the units are placed at larger distances from home, they raise installation cost. So, closer units are very cost effective.

8. It is also expected from you to behave like good neighbor.

You solar panels might cast a shadow to your neighbor’s yard reducing the output of his bushes or block their satellite dish. It will be good idea to consider and consult your neighbors as well.

Although, most of the municipalities are themselves promoting renewal energy and should have no objection for your solar system, you should make sure that you don’t violate any terms and conditions imposed by the planning authorities.

So giving a visit to local municipal office and talking to someone with authority on the matter would be good idea to ward off any future issues.

9. Save money with Do It Yourself (DIY) approach.

Solar panels installations cost a lot so if you plan to do it yourself you can save quite a good amount of money as nowadays kits are very installation friendly and can be easily installed. But it should be kept in mind that working at higher places can be dangerous and you are not afraid of heights.

So it is recommended that you should obtain the permits. By obtaining permits you will be sure whether you are allowed to install the kits by yourself or not. As any wrong connection can damage the entire system, you should always have a licensed and very experienced electrician doing the final connections and preferably all the connections.

Air Conditioning & Fans – Home Owner’s Love Hate Relationship




With ever increasing costs of electricity, reducing expenses on household electrical consumption is a top-most priority for many people. Many people necessarily use air conditioners during summer, which increase power costs considerably.

People can reduce the consumption of electricity, if they use fans for air circulation and reduce the room temperature rather than using air conditioners, provided if it is done properly. Following are some useful information regarding the usage of air conditioning units and electric fans.

What is Air Conditioning (AC)?

The function of any air conditioning, whether it is a central or whole house system or a window unit is to cool a space and maintain the room temperature or that of the house at cool and comfortable levels. The hot air from the atmosphere is drawn inside the system and passed through several stages and is blown across a ‘cold source’ to cool the air temperature inside the room and dehumidify the air.

Many years ago, air conditioning units used Freon and other CFC gases as coolants. However, the use of these chemicals as coolants has been prohibited as they were considered harmful for the environment. Air conditioning units consist of circulation fans, the compressor and other parts assembled in the unit.

Air conditioning units are powered by electricity. Air conditioning systems or units consume a lot of electric power contributing to huge electricity bills.

On the other hand, the function of fans is different. Instead of reducing the air temperature in the room, the fans merely circulate the air, eventually cooling the room.

Investment Costs of Air Conditioning

Despite the claims by the electric contractors that the energy efficiency of air conditioning units has improved considerably in the last decade, air conditioners still account for the maximum consumption of electricity in a house. An average American home incurs around 16% of the total electricity bill on air conditioners.

This percentage will go up to 60 – 70% during summer, particularly in the Deep South, where the efficiency levels are generally low due to high humidity. A typical window air conditioning unit consumes about 500 to 1400 watts. An average 2.5 ton central air conditioning system consumes around 3500 watts of power per hour if used regularly. This works out to hundreds of dollars per month.

Electric Fans – The Facts

As air conditioning units cool and dehumidify air in the room or house, they are much more effective in cooling than fans, which do not alter the surrounding temperature of a room, but bring down the room temperature and keep the room cool through circulation of air.

Though efficiency wise in terms of cooling air conditioners are far superior to fans, they lose out to fans in terms of power consumption. While a normal floor model of electric fan consumes 100 watts of electricity per hour, a ceiling fan consumes just 15 – 30 watts. The saving in energy costs is, therefore, enormous.

Can You Live Without AC?

Although air conditioning units consume a lot of power, it is still possible to achieve savings in energy costs and keep the electricity bills under reasonable levels. A major amount of power is consumed by the compressor and coolant pump.

However, A/C units also have fans that function without the usage of coolant. Adjusting the thermostat of the A/C units at higher temperature and the fan in the air conditioners at lower temperature will enable the fans to run more often than the cooling pump.

As it would take 35 floor fans to use as much energy as central air conditioning system, it would be better to install a few fans to utilize them as the main source of cooling and using A/C only when it is necessary. Even though using an air conditioner is a luxury, many Americans do not want curtail its use.

However, it is essential to reduce its use in order to cut down monthly expenses. According to one estimate, at least 50% saving can be achieved if electric fans instead of A/Cs are used. By utilizing judiciously both A/Cs and electrical fans, one can derive maximum benefit in terms of sufficient cooling and energy efficiency.