LEDs may have reached tipping point with electrical contractors

To highlight the latest developments in the lighting industry, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, which reaches over 85,000 electrical contractors in the US,  conducted a survey of more than 700 readers in commercial/industrial/institutional (CII), residential and nonbuilding projects in fall 2010. About 60 percent of the surveys were taken using the Internet, while 40 percent were completed through postal mail. Renaissance Research & Consulting, New York, conducted the survey. The results that follow provide a roadmap for electrical contractors (ECs) as they make decisions about lighting at the design table and on the job site

Electrical contractors may be reaching the point where specification and installation of LED lighting, such as LED Tube, LED downlight, where appropriate, is becoming the rule and not the exception.

The publisher of Electrical Contractor, John Maisel, said, “The more we educate on the technology and opportunities in the multibillion dollar LED market that’s growing more than 30 percent per year, the greater value they bring to their customers."

Electrical Contractor is published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) in Bethesda, MD. Among those readers who responded to the survey, 33 percent of electrical contractors said LED lamps are ready to replace incandescent lamps, compared with 23 percent saying LEDs are ready to replace CFLs and 19 percent claiming LEDs are ready to replace fluorescent lamps

An additional 33 percent of electrical contractors believe LEDs will be ready to replace these traditional lamp sources within the next two years. The remaining respondents see LEDs becoming more viable later, or they “don’t know” when viability will occur. Of those who said LEDs were not ready or they didn’t know, 19 percent said that high cost was a factor, while 10 percent mentioned needed improvements in performance.

Participants in this survey included contractors working on residential projects, commercial/industrial/institutional (CII) projects and non-building projects