I have a confession to make, I'm a conservative. Ok, some people who know me might be laughing about that, but really, when it comes time to fully embrace new technology I can be very conservative. For the past five years clients have been asking me which is better for channel letter lighting? Neon or LED? For most of that time the answer was: "LED lighting is nice, a great concept, but... I don't think we're there yet. It's not ready to replace neon.
LED, or light emitting diode, is an energy efficient alternative to neon lighting. For many years now the debate has been raging between the new age "Green" sign makers and the old school sign builders. I've recommended neon while I kept a close eye on the LED products, waiting for the price to come down and the efficiency to go up. Historically the cost of the LED's required to provide the same amount of lighting as neon was much greater, and the lighting could be very uneven if you were not careful with your installation.
Throughout the past year there have been some important changes in the sign industry with regard to LED lighting. The cost factors have come down significantly and the lighting efficiency has gone up. At this point there is no real difference in the price of the two, and very little difference in the effectiveness. The two are basically tied.
Except, in the event of a tie, the prize must go to LEDs for the drastic reduction in energy usage, the reduced maintenance costs, their safer operation and their ease of installation. With every industry making an effort to show their "greener" side the sign industry has a tremendous advantage, our "green" alternative is actually a better product.
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