The first time I saw real LED lighting for the home, I was in IKEA. This was about 4 years ago. I was very impressed. These small lights meant to be installed under walls cabinets or in display shelving emitted cold, blue light – just like the inside of a refrigerator. All the same, I was impressed. I thought to myself that it is just a matter of time, this will either fizzle out leaving LEDs to flashlights and kids carnival toys… or this will be brought into the mainstream. The latter is happening. One of the reasons that LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting is entering the marketplace so slowly is partly due to our own US government – it can take years for fixtures to become UL approved. There is however, the ETL certification from Intertek which allows safe products to enter the marketplace quickly and on a global level. ETL Safety Mark LED lights entering the marketplace now are categorized as low-voltage. What this means is that the fixtures are not directly connected to your household electricity, but rather “Plug and Play”. A transformer is necessary to “step-down” the voltage to a lower level like 12-volts. This transformer is either plugged directly into a switched outlet or hardwired into the home’s electricial system. Then the individual LED fixtures are plugged into the transformer. The Low Voltage lighting family includes Xenon and Halogen.

These lights, like LEDs, are very intense; Xenon lighting is often found in jewelry stores where diamonds are made to sparkle as if on fire. And on fire it could be – these lights are very hot. But LED lights stay comfortable to the touch for hours on end. LED Surface Mounted Spot by Hafele LED lights are more expensive than traditional lighting. However, in the long run – they could save you money. An LED fixture and transformer is expected to give 20,000 to 30,000 hours of light. If you break this down to 4 hours a night, every night, 365 days a year – you would get approximately 13 years out of your LED lighting system. LED lights come in 6 colors – cool white, warm white (like an incandescent bulb), orange, red, green and blue. For those of us who can’t make up their mind, there is a rotating effect available that slowly fades between colors. I can only think of commercial applications for this – or if you like to have your Christmas decorations up year round. While LEDs are still used mainly for decorative and task lighting – general room lighting may be in the future for Americans. It will just take a little more time as we wait and see. Written by Imperial Kitchens and Baths Designer, Stephanie Bullwinkel (CBD).

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LED Lighting