New tools and technologies that help create high performance buildings seem to spring up daily and evolve quickly. One of the most promising advancements is solid state lighting (SSL), which includes both light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) lighting. To easily understand the excitement over the potential energy savings SSL solutions could deliver, consider the estimates from a recent study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The study estimated that a switch to “LED lighting over the next two decades could save $120 billion in energy costs over that period, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by one-fourth and avoid 246 million metric tons of carbon emission.”

In our experience the best, most cost effective arguments for using current SSL technology is in more specialized applications, such as specialty down-lighting, accent lighting, wall packs, and outdoor and garage lighting. Despite the potential rapid advances and improvements in commercially available products, SSL solutions are not yet a slam dunk choice for general office lighting. Given time, we expect the pricing and technology will make it a feasible solution for large-scale lighting applications.

We can and have designed office spaces that use SSL/LED as the primary light source, but do not currently recommend that path based on the up-front cost premium required and the fact that most currently available SSL/LED technologies require nearly the same amount of energy to produce comparable light (lumen) levels as typical T5 or T8 lamp fixtures.

Based on the rapid advances that have developed in SSL/LED technology over the past 5-7 years, it would not be surprising to see the available options begin to compete with legacy fluorescent technology on all levels, including up-front costs, in the near future.

What has your experience using SSL/LED technology been? Let us know in the comments below!