LED lights have gradually replaced traditional HPS lights and become a commonly used light source for street lights. While LED street lights are well recognized for their advantages, there are also debates about whether changing all the street lights to LED lights will truly save costs or if there will be potential harm from LED lights. Myths about LED street lighting have become obstacles when people consider buying LED street lights. But eliminating these myths is actually quite easy. You will find the answers to these myths about LED street lighting by reading the following article.
Myth #1: LED street lights do harm to human beings and animals
Some experts regard LED lights as harmful light sources because of the blue light they emit. Too much blue light will make passersby uncomfortable and even cause accidents. For the residents, the blue light will inhibit the secretion of melatonin, making it difficult for them to fall asleep. As for animals and plants, the blue light may influence their growth cycles. For example, it may lead to the early germination of the plants. However, all this influence is based on the premise that there is too much blue light. If the LED street lights are up to standard, the amount of blue light will be limited. In this way, it will not have much impact on the lives of people, animals, and plants.
Myth #2: LED street lights can only last for a short time
Some LED light users reflect that the LED lights are not as long-lasting as advertised. The reason is the low quality of those LED lights. LED light beads need to be produced in a dust-free workshop since they may easily break down because of the existence of dust. For those factories that have not reached the industrial standard, it will be hard to maintain an absolutely dust-free environment. Besides, those lights are also likely to have poor heat dissipation performance, which will shorten their lifespan. Therefore, only high-quality LED lights have a long lifespan.
Myth #3: LED street lights cost much
Compared with traditional street lights, the price of LED street lights is indeed higher, and this can be obvious if you are buying a lot of them for a big project. However, these LED street lights are definitely worth it and will save you money in the long run. Firstly, while traditional HPS street lights can only have an efficiency of 20%-30%, LED lights can be much more efficient by transforming as much as 85% of the electricity into light. At the same time, little heat will be generated, leading to a long service life and lower maintenance costs. Its high efficiency also means that your power bill won’t cost you much.
Myth #4: LED lights are fragile
What frequently happens to HPS lights is the breaking of bulbs. HPS consumes much energy, and the voltage is high at the moment it starts working. The filament and glass housing are easy to break into pieces, so safety is not guaranteed. But LED lights are not as fragile as HPS ones. While producing LED lights, epoxy resin is used to encapsulate them, so LEDs are solid-state. Besides, without the filaments and other fragile parts of traditional lights, they are not easily damaged. So vibration and shock will not affect them much. The shock resistance ability of high-quality LED lights is improved through optimizing structural design, selecting high-strength materials, strengthening manufacturing processes, improving assembly methods, and so on.
Myth #5: LED street lights will pollute the environment
LED street lights are usually known for their ability to protect the environment by saving energy. But some people wonder if LED street lights will harm the environment. Except for the influence on creatures, light pollution may also cover the starlight and cause a loss of the beautiful night sky. But LED street lights can emit light in an accurate direction, unlike the scattered light emitted by traditional lights. As for sound pollution, using LED street lights is actually a way to reduce it. The reason is that LED street lights have high heat dissipation efficiency and will not produce noise when working.
Myth #6: LED street lights can only emit white light
Traditional incandescent street lights emit white light, and HPS street lights are yellow. LED street lights are generally cool white lights because the luminous flux required for street lighting is high, and cold white lights with the same power can provide light with a higher luminous flux. But there are also LED lights of a warm yellow color. Although white light can emit brighter light and have a higher CRI, it tends to be more dazzling sometimes, especially for drivers. Warm yellow light won’t irritate people’s eyes and helps reduce accidents at night.
Myth #7: LED lights cannot be used in a cold environment
The temperature difference between day and night in some cold areas sets a high requirement for the performance of LED lights. While working, LED lights emit heat, and when they are off, the change in temperature may lead to condensation. But it is not true that LED lights cannot work in these areas. On the contrary, they have been improved to fit the cold environment. For example, manufacturers choose devices with better temperature characteristics to solve the problem of the high failure rate of the driver. Measures to reduce or avoid condensation include: creating a smooth and even appearance of the LED street light; avoiding ice, snow, or water accumulation in the bearing structure; and using LED street light surface materials with excellent hydrophobic properties.
Conclusions
With these myths about LED street lighting refuted, it becomes more reasonable to promote the popularization of LED street lights. They have higher light efficiency thanks to their secondary optical design, a CRI as high as 80%, a long lifespan of more than 50,000 hours, and more advantages worth mentioning. If there are other myths making you confused, contact us for an answer and find a suitable LED street light! Mokolight is a Chinese LED street light manufacturer that has produced the best LED lights for over 16 years. The LED lights Moko produces have been certified by professional quality tests and have gained certifications like UL, BSCI, etc. Moko offers quick response and customized design. Don’t wait; talk with us right away!