Things you didn't know about LED

LED lights are the new 'in' thing! They are used in our houses, in clubs and pubs and on the streets. It is cost effective, has a long life, consumes less energy and is eco-friendly. Yes, we all are aware of these facts. This blog is not about the things that you have been reading since forever. If you want to read things that you didn't know about LED before, then, this is the place for you.

1. The first visible-spectrum LED was invented by Nick Holonyak, Jr., while working for GE in 1962. Since then, the technology has swiftly progressed and costs have dropped staggeringly, making LEDs a feasible lighting solution.

2. In 2012, about 49 million LEDs were installed in the U.S. -- saving about $675 million in annual energy costs.

3. LEDs contain no mercury, and a recent Energy Department study determined that LEDs have a much smaller environmental impact than incandescent bulbs. They also have an edge over compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) that’s expected to grow over the next few years as LED technology continues its steady improvement.

4. Good-quality LED bulbs can have a useful life of 25,000 hours or more, which means, they can last more than 25 times longer than the traditional light bulbs. It has a life of more than three years if run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

5. A light-emitting diode, or LED, is a type of solid-state lighting that uses a semiconductor to convert electricity into light. Today’s LED bulbs can be six-seven times more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lights and cut energy use by more than 80 percent.

6. From traffic lights and vehicle brake lights to TVs and display cases, LEDs are used in a wide range of applications because of their unique characteristics, which include compact size, low maintenance, resistance to breakage and the ability to focus the light in a single direction.