When you drive by a beautifully illuminated outdoor holiday lighting display and it brings a smile to your face and a warm feeling in your soul do you ever think about what elements went into creating such an inspirational display? Most folks don’t bother with learning the logistics of what goes into a well designed and executed Christmas light display, but many of the lights we use in our holiday lighting displays may play a role in making our planet a better place to live.
Some history on holiday lights
Festivities practiced by ancient civilizations used lights as part of their celebration practices. This ancient tradition of associating the use of light that signified a special occasion is believed to have set the groundwork for our modern-day use of lighting our homes, our landscape and our trees as part of celebrating the holidays.
The first signs of celebratory lights were candles, tallow lights and nutshells which were filled with oil and lit. Our modern electric lights made for Christmas were introduced by Thomas Alva Edison in 1882, just three years after his invention of the first light bulb in 1879. Since their debut in 1882, holiday lights have seen many changes over the years. Today’s modern Christmas lights offer many benefits that our forefathers would’ve never deemed possible within the small but complicated workings that make up a light bulb.
Much of the holiday lighting we see nowadays is made up of energy efficient LED ( light emitting diode) lighting. LED light bulbs use modern technological advances to create a light that uses less energy to light, has a longer bulb life, responds faster to switching, exudes more robust and clearer illumination, and is more gentle on the environment than it’s predecessors.
If half the world’s lighting needs could be met by conversion to LED by the year 2025, researchers predict this would reduce the world’s power usage by at least 120 gigawatts. This reduction in power usage would reflect a savings in energy costs worldwide of over 100 billion dollars per year, and would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions brought on by power plants by 350 megatons each year. So when you think in terms of a small, LED light, look at it as a little light that packs a lot of punch in terms of the positive effects the LED’s “green” technology could have on our entire planet.
LED light is said to have first been invented by a group of four independent research groups in the United States in 1962, but much speculation has been made over a Russian genius by the name of Oleg Losev who is said to have discovered the LED forty years prior to that. Believe it or not nearly 100 years ago Henry Round at Marconi Labs noted the emission of light from a semiconductor diode, but published only a very short note on his findings and made no further investigations on the subject at the time which left the door open for Losev to hold the title as the first to discover the LED.
Every good design is all about the details…
Now let’s talk about the “playful” part of the LED lighting. When I refer to this aspect of the LED light as playful, I am referring to the myriad of beautiful and mesmerizing components that are used in creating an LED outdoor holiday lighting display. Our LED displays incorporate LED roof line lights, such as the C9 that promote a charming and elegant feel into your display. We also use holiday wreaths, garlands and foliage that are lit using LED technology. The use of these classic and inspirational pieces can be used in multiples to heighten the beauty of your outdoor holiday lighting display. Even the use of a single lighted wreath adorning your front door can make a huge impact on your Christmas display and will welcome visitors and guests for the holidays in a manner nothing else comes close to. Many of our customers also lean towards using the more unique LED components we offer, such as the LightLinks roof line lighting that comes in a host of merry holiday shapes such as candy canes and snowflakes, just for starters. The LightLinks line of holiday lighting also offers large, lighted stand-up 3-dimensional yard displays that come in a variety of cherished holiday icons.
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives can design a unique LED holiday lighting display for you using LED. We can design a custom Christmas lighting display for you, from sugarplum fantasies to a traditional display that mimic the old world beauty and charm of a" Currier and Ives "holiday postcard. To learn more about our professional outdoor holiday lighting, including the energy efficient LED’s, contact Outdoor Lighting Perspectives today.
To locate an Outdoor Lighting Perspectives close to you, visit our locations list located on our website.
Yearning for images of inspirational holiday lighting? Then visit our outdoor holiday lighting photo gallery, also located on our website.