How Airports Swapped To LED FAA Lighting

By Helen Nelson


The Energy Independence and Security Act signed by George Bush on December 2017 is a law that calls for light bulb efficiency. As a result of this, many establishments in the United States have collectively opted to use LED lights, which are more energy efficient. These establishments also include airports. Airports have slowly adopted LED FAA lighting as a means of complying with the rules stipulated in this law.

Contrary to popular belief, the law does not require the total ban of incandescent light bulbs. LED lights are just simply the better option when it comes to many factors. In comparison to most incandescent bulbs that release more heat than energy, LED lighting emits very little heat. It also lasts much longer than other light sources.

Researches have stated that LEDs can actively operate between 50000 to 100000 hours. This is around forty times more than incandescent lights. With a longer lifespan comes long term benefits such as increased savings, less manual labor, and fewer replacements. Since they are less hot, they are also safer in comparison to other lighting systems, particularly incandescent lights.

They can operate on low voltage electricity, making them better at adapting to power concerns. They are also flexible with a range of other functions made possible by their relatively small size. Although in spite of its benefits, more people still opt for inefficient incandescent lights instead of LEDs which are better in various ways.

A primary reason for this is because incandescents are significantly cheaper than LEDs during the initial purchase. What most people do not realize is that light emitting diodes will ultimately lessen your electricity bill in the long run because they are able to run on low voltage systems. Additionally, those who opt for LEDs will require fewer replacements and have light sources that are not only much brighter but also last longer.

Airports have even adjusted to LEDs to help save the environment. The switch began with obstruction lighting and runways. This does not mean, however, that they did not encounter any issues during their first few trials with the new lights.

What they failed to take into account was the increased brightness of the new lighting systems. The brightness had caused visibility problems for the pilots who made their landings on the runways. The intensity of the light emitting diodes, even on the lowest setting, simply could not match the rest of the lighting systems. This considerably impaired the perception of the pilots and effectively blinded them during touchdown.

In response to the complaints, the Federal Aviation Administration immediately provided a solution to dim the lights. By installing five step regulators, the personnel were able to have better control of the brightness level. Together with inputs from pilots, light adjustments were made to ensure safer landings.

At present, airports now have LEDs installed into jetways, tarmacs, hangars, and other places. The improvement and changes applied to the illuminating systems were made possible by noting down the initial issues that arose during the replacement. Passenger safety and visibility concerns were the primary issues that have since been solved. With these combined efforts, airports can generate much less energy than with incandescent systems. If anything, this proves that if airline companies can switch to eco friendlier solutions, we can too.




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