LED Pool Lights Are The Evolution Of Swimming Pool Technology

13 Jul LED Pool Lights Are The Evolution Of Swimming Pool Technology

Why LED Lights are Taking the Industry by Storm

From AQUA Magazine

Like many other industries, the swimming pool industry is experiencing the streamlining of efficiency.  Most consumer products are getting smarter, more energy efficient, and cost effective to utilize.  Leading the charge in the swimming pool industry is the proliferation of LED swimming pool lights both for new inground swimming pool installations and renovations.  This post from Aqua Magazine attempts to explain the reasons why this is happening nationwide for all types of lighting.

Here is an excerpt from the post:

The explosion of LED (light emitting diode) technology can be seen through a variety of lenses, but the story is always the same: LEDs are taking over and revolutionizing the lighting industry across the spectrum of applications, including pools, spas and landscaping.

According to manufacturers serving the aquatics and landscape industries, LEDs now account for well over half of the lighting market for both new installations and the “re-lighting” aftermarket.

On the new construction side of the market, LEDs are widely used on a majority of projects from the very custom high-end down to package pools and everywhere between. In the aftermarket, LEDs are now commonly used to replace existing traditional incandescent, halogen and fiber optic-based systems in pools and spas.

As for the broader lighting industry, Forbes recently cited market research indicating that in 2014, LED sales surpassed $13 billion; by 2020, that number will likely exceed $60 billion. Today, LEDs are the “luminaire” of choice for streetlights, headlights and appliances, as well as security, indoor, landscape and architectural lighting.

WHY SO FAST?

The LED revolution might understandably come as a surprise to someone who hasn’t been paying attention, because the growth has been so sudden.

Part of that growth has come as a result of government intervention in the lighting market, specifically the 2007 ban on a number of incandescent light sources, most of which were permanently discontinued at the start of 2014. Since the ban, and in light of consumer demand for energy-efficient products, LEDs have steadily replaced CFL (compact fluorescent) lights, which were the first to benefit from the move away from incandescent lights.

While incandescent lights may be headed for extinction, a few niches remain for other technologies. Low-voltage halogen lights are still being sold in the pool industry and elsewhere, and fiber-optic lighting — once considered the colored light technology of choice for the industry — retains some applications such as band lighting, in which LEDs still come up short due to issues such as pixilation.

But proponents of LED technology are quick to counter that in just the span of a few years, the technology and cost have improved so dramatically that it won’t be long before LEDs will be able to effectively replace most forms of lighting, beating its competitors in terms of economics, functionality and aesthetics.

COST BENEFITS

The financial benefits driving LED growth break down into two distinct areas:

Energy efficiency: LEDs typically use only 10 to 15 percent of the power their incandescent and halogen counterparts consume.

Longevity: Incandescent and halogen lights typically boast service lives in the 2,000 to 3,000 hour range. LED service lives are measured in the tens of thousands of hours, with rating numbers ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 hours in many products.

Proponents of the technology are quick to point out that those two factors alone more than offset the often significantly increased cost of LEDs. For pool owners, the energy savings alone can mean a return-on-investment time of less than two years. In commercial applications where lights are used for longer periods day-in, day-out, the ROI may be just a few months.

COLOR SCHEMES

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