Going Green This Holiday Season With LEDs

As the holiday season approaches, much attention will be spent on ways to go green for the holidays. Leading the charge is the usage of LEDs (light emitting diodes) instead of traditional lights for holiday light displays. From the National Christmas Tree in Washington to the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball in New York, many of the nation’s beloved holiday landmarks are going green with LED illumination.

New advancements in “smart” LEDs promise to reduce lighting energy consumption up to 90 percent. LEDs also offer longer life spans. An LED can last up to 100,000 hours, resulting in more than 10 years of continuous use, compared to 1,000 hours for an incandescent bulb and 10,000 hours for fluorescent bulbs.

LEDs are semiconductor devices that give off light when electricity excites atoms and releases photons. Unlike incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs, LEDs do not give off much heat, use less electricity to produce light and are more efficient at producing visible light. Optics and photonics research and development continue to make LEDs even more efficient.

Experts from the Optical Society of America (OSA) are available to discuss the science and trends behind this cutting-edge technology being used during the holiday season and increasingly in new ways throughout the year to conserve energy. To speak with an expert, please contact Colleen Morrison at 202.416.1437 or cmorri@osa.org.

Quick LED Facts: -- National holiday savings: The nation could save as much as 3,400 kilowatt-hours or $375 million by switching to LED holiday lights.-- Energy savings: LEDs could reduce electricity consumption for lighting by up to 90 percent.-- Cost savings: By 2025, LEDs could save $30 billion per year by cutting U.S. energy consumption for lighting in half.-- Longer life spans: An LED can last up to 100,000 hours — more than 10 years of continuous use (compared to 1,000 hours for an incandescent bulb and 10,000 hours for fluorescent bulbs).--- Efficiency potential: LEDs are at least 10 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs and twice as efficient as fluorescent bulbs.