Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

As someone who’s tracked LED lighting since its early days as a commercially available technology, my own experience with the products has evolved. I live in an older house with overhead lighting only in the kitchen and bathrooms, so this has mostly meant experimenting with LED bulbs (or “lamps,” in lighting designer lingo) in the 14 or 15 table fixtures scattered around my home.

My home is taking on the aura of an art museum gallery. Canvases are popping up on the walls everywhere throughout the house.

Not that it’s a bad thing. There are some real benefits, like hiding holes in the walls, and not having major areas to paint.

In just a little more than a decade, LED lighting systems have moved from a not-quite-yet-there technology to one that essentially owns the market, especially in commercial applications. With efficacy ratings that now surpass those of once-dominant fluorescent fixtures, LEDs also can operate for years before needing replacement, versus months for fluorescent tubes.

Tube lamps have been a go-to for decades and, while the latest LED fixtures often incorporate integrated lighting elements – in other words, no separate lamps – millions of troffer fixtures initially designed for fluorescent technology are still in service around the globe.