|
I have been checking our energy usage on our yacht as we were at anchor in recent times and was shocked to learn just what energy a regular incandescent bulb utilizes. Our mast light pulled two amps while lit, pulling a total of 18 amp hours on any given evening. The Edison bulb that has lit up our vessels since 1879 is officially on the way out. The inefficient incandescent, which loses virtually all of its energy as heat, has fallen in approval. By early 2012, U.S. residents won't be able to purchase one even if they wanted to. The government is planning to prohibit their manufacture to save power. The chief replacement for the incandescent light bulb is the higher-efficiency fluorescent bulb. The fluorescent, however, has its own problems, principally the presence of lethal mercury in the design and a bizarre color that many individuals find objectionable. Now comes the LED, or light-emitting diode. LEDs have been available for a lot of years. Numerous drawbacks have prevented corporations from making them in typical, replacement-size bulb appearance, mainly the price to the customer. However in the last couple of years, these LED replacement light bulbs have grown to be much more universal and costs have dropped. What are LED Lights? LED stands for "light-emitting diode." LED lights are extremely small semiconductor diodes that are able to create light. The light that is produced by any given LED can be of a diversity of colors. The tint of the light that is created by an LED light relies upon on the compound that is used to construct the semiconductor. There are many distinct types of LEDs, including miniature ones, in addition to high-powered LEDs and multicolor varieties. How Do LED Lights Function? LED lights work very close to standard bulbs except that LEDs are a great deal smaller and have no filament. Instead of a filament, an LED creates light utilizing the movement of electricity along the pathway of its semiconductor. As the electrons flow across the semiconductor, they create radiation, taking the form of light which people can see. What Are LED Marine Functions? There exists an almost infinite supply of purposes for LED lights, a number of which have previously been identified and others that are currently being researched. They illuminate VHF radios, chart plotters, and stereos and they now tell you when you have a voice mail on your smart phone. You can come across LED lights utilized for underwater lighting on expensive sportfisherman and megayachts. But as far as trawler interior and exterior light goes, LEDs have never really been utilized. But this will change soon. Energy Efficiency First, there is the reduced energy utilization. The LED manner of making observable light loses considerably less energy to heat than do other illumination technologies. It's considerably more efficient than the filament system used in incandescent bulbs -- about 85 percent more efficient; and it's also about five percent more efficient than the fluorescent tube. But energy-efficiency is only a fraction of the benefit. The other part is longevity of the LED bulbs. You can last 20 years without having to replace an LED light bulb. A average incandescent bulb lasts in the region of 750 hours; an LED lasts 30,000 hours and some LED bulbs last up to 50,000 hours. I mentioned that my anchor light drew 18 amp hours when illuminated while at anchor. I replaced the bulbs with 2 LEDs that pulled barely .001 amps each. The total sum of energy utilization went from 18 amp hours to .018 amp hours. Now that is a significant saving and the reality that I can replace those amp hours with solar power, makes it even more appealing! Cost Factors The issue of cost is a puzzling one. A 60-watt LED substitute light bulb runs in the neighborhood of $100, and even the lower-output versions, utilized for things like mast lights, will cost between $30 and $40. That's compared to a $1 incandescent bulb. The actuality is, even at elevated prices for a single light bulb, LEDs will wind up saving money in the long run, because you only require one for the life of your vessel and you spend not as much money on spare bulbs. But the upfront cost is nevertheless pretty excessive for the present time. In conclusion, replacing the average light bulbs on board your trawler with LED light bulbs may be a sensible expenditure if your major concern is energy usage. Mike Dickens, the author, is a live aboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA. Paradise Yachts offers used quality yachts to customers worldwide. 904/556-9431 Visit the Paradise Yachts website to view our selection of Used Trawlers and Used Motor Yachts
Related Articles -
LED lights, marine,
| 
