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Take a walk round the lighting section of any major retailer these days and you'll have notice there are some odd looking, slightly expensive bulbs in there amongst the traditional ones. Look closer and you'll see that some of them have bold boasts like '15 year guarantee', and sometimes 30 years. It seems incredible but this is the quantum leap that LED lights have brought about and it won't be long until all business are using them for their main light sources, particularly as the government has some stiff emissions targets to keep to. So what's so good about them?

1. They last longer

This is easily the biggest reason LED lights will outmode traditional ones - they can shine for up to 100,000 hours constantly. Thats being left on for eleven years! Most businesses will probably use lights for around 8 hours a day so they should keep going for at least 20 years before fading out. In businesses, that means less maintenance time and costs.

2. Environmentally beneficial

There are no toxic elements used in LED lights. Contrast that with the fluorescent ‘strip’ lights many business use which contain some dubious elements like mercury -  not great for the environment. LED lights are 100% recyclable and last a lot longer,  reducing manufacturing energy expenditure and wastage.

3. Extremely energy efficient

LED bulbs achieve an energy efficiency level of between 80% and 90%. In layman's terms, that means over 80% of the energy is turned into light. The remaining 20% becomes heat. In contrast, a standard bulb operating at 20% efficiency loses up to 80% of electrical energy as heat.

4. Durable quality

LED lights are surprisingly sturdy and so are highly durable, being able to withstand knocks and shocks. They're ideal for using outdoors use as they're very weather resistant.

5. Zero Ultraviolet emissions

LED lighting produces virtually no infrared light or UV emissions. Therefore they can be employed near heat-sensitive materials. This also makes LED lights ideal for using around other types of UV sensitive objects, for instance museum artefacts.

6. Targeted lighting

LED lights focus light very accurately. Therefore they can be directed toward a specific location and achieve superior application efficiency when compared to traditional lighting.

7. Instant switch on/off

LEDs light up the millisecond they are turned on. This of course means they can be switched off and back on again just as quickly. This sort of wear would reduce the longevity of normal lights, but not that of LEDs.

8. Low voltage

LEDs only require a low voltage supply. So for instance, outdoor lights are often connected to a solar source and this is plenty to run LEDs. And you can't get much cheaper than solar power!