By Chet Pensak
Inform print & Promotions

In addition to signage, LEDs can reduce repair costs and extend the life of rental merchandise from refrigerators to lamps.

Click to enlarge LED signage available from Inform print & Promotions

In case you haven’t noticed the world is being taken over by LED’s. They’re everywhere - they’re in our cars, our appliances, our security cameras and even in our traffic lights. Light Emitting Diodes are an efficient and effective signage solution for rent to own stores.

Running off the direct current of their batteries, each diode is about 1/4” in diameter and consumes about 10 milliamps (a tenth of a watt) of power. They’re safe, cool running, energy efficient and very long lasting. They use up to 90% less energy than an equivalent incandescent bulb and will last from 50,000 to 100,000 hours of use. They’ll make you and your company more politically correct and “GREEN.”

1. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: Switching to low energy, solid state lighting benefits the environment. LEDs consume far less energy than standard light bulbs, leading to greatly reduced energy costs. LEDs also require far less energy to manufacture than other light sources, reducing their environmental impact even further.

2. ECONOMY: Despite their initial high price, the use of LED lighting can offer significant cost savings over time, not only in terms of reduced energy consumption, but maintenance as well.

3. LONG LIFE: The typical working life of an LED can be several tens of thousands of hours; most domestic bulb filaments expire after just a couple of thousand hours and even compact fluorescent lamps come nowhere near the working life of LEDs. Also, LEDs don't suddenly burn out - they slowly fade over time, giving ample opportunity to plan replacements (which will be rare - several years with normal use and possibly even decades). Even at the end of its working life, an LED will still be giving some light.

4. STRENGTH & RELIABILITY: The filament in a normal bulb is a very fragile object, easily broken by a sudden shock or "soft" drop. An LED is encased in virtually unbreakable high strength optical grade resin. There is no glass or filament to break, making LED light sources perfect for rugged or demanding environments, or installations where access is difficult.

5. IMPROVED SAFETY AND SECURITY: The low heat and low voltages associated with LEDs make them a far safer source of light. No glass to break, no white-hot filament, no flames and no noxious fumes.

6. "DESIGN FLEXIBILITY": The intrinsically safe nature of LEDs, combined with their long term reliability and minute size, mean that they can be built into the fabric of almost any structure or object. Imagine a stairway, lit by its handrail; or a brightly lit sign in your store window that is visible 50% farther than your current sign.

There are disadvantages sometimes however. We'll be honest here: LEDs can be more expensive, certainly in the short term Long term LED performance can depends on ambient temperature. Driving an LED hard in an extreme environment may result in shortened life.

This is all well and good but how does that help me? It helps the RTO dealer by reducing the cost of inventory, reducing the cost to make repairs and extends the life of everything from the refrigerator he is renting to the store he is lighting and the signs he puts out to advertise his store.

Where there is an option to take a product using LED technology, take it. In the long run it will serve you well by reducing not only part and repair cost but labor cost as well not to mention the savings in energy consumption.

Inform Print & Promotions has just added a line of very affordable LED signage to its web site. Visit www.rtoforms.com for more information or call 888-786-3676.