The Environmental Benefits of LED Lights in Holiday Displays: A Sustainable Choice with At Last Events🍃🎄

As the holiday season approaches, many businesses and homeowners look to create magical atmospheres with beautiful light displays. But, as awareness of environmental issues grows, it’s important to balance visual impact with sustainability. At Last Events is proud to incorporate eco-friendly solutions into our stunning holiday installations. One of the most significant changes we’ve embraced is the switch to LED lighting. In this post, we’ll explore the history and environmental benefits of using LED lights, and how our team at At Last Events use them to create captivating displays that shine brightly—both in beauty and sustainability.

Warm LED lights

Credits: taenk.dk

History of the LED bulb

LEDs or light-emitting diodes were first observed in 1907 by British experimenter Henry Joseph Round while working in Marconi labs. He noticed that when a potential of 10 volts was applied to carborundum (silicon carbide) crystal, it emitted yellowish light. However, the first to truly investigate them and propose a working theory was Oleg Vladimirovich Losev from Russia. In 1927, Oleg published a paper “Luminous carborundum detector and detection effect and oscillations with crystals", which gave a rudimentary look into the field.

For decades after minimal progress was made for several different reasons, but in 1955, Rubin Braunstein; a worker at Radio Corporation, reported that some simple diodes emit infrared light when connected to a current. This slow progress changed however in 1961, when Gary Pittman and Bob Biard from Texas Instruments found that gallium-arsenide diodes emit infrared light every time it was connected to a current. Following up the same year when they received a patent for infrared LED.

This was the first true acknowledgement of the technology from within the science community but it was far from the finished product. Infrared light isn't on the visible part of the light spectrum, so if LEDs were to become widespread the technology would have to improve. Thankfully the wait for the next innovation came shortly after in the next year. In 1962 Nick Holonyak Jr., an employee at General Electric, developed the first light-emitting diode that emitted light in the visible part of the frequency range; a red LED. This was followed up with the creation of the green LED and 10 years later in 1972 M. George Craford, invented the first yellow LED and a brighter red LED.

These were significant steps for the LED bulb but with our eyes only seeing in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and the potential to only use red and green, the blue bulb was needed to create a true colour spectrum. This came in 1979 when Shuji Nakamura of Nichia Corporation made the first blue LED. But it was too expensive for commercial use, costing some $200 per piece to manufacture. That was until in 1994 when the introduction of Fairchild Semiconductors saw the price of LEDs drop drastically down to as little as 5 cents by using the planar process in the production of semiconductor chips for light emitting diodes.

With the combination of red, green and blue now available and affordable, the doors to the light spectacle that we see today were open.

Nick Holonyak Jr - Inventor of the Red LED

Credits: Reddit.com

Environmental Benefits of LED Lights

Before the LED, traditional incandescent holiday lights had been a staple for decades, but they are notoriously inefficient, using much more electricity compared to modern LED options. LED lights use up to 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs, drastically reducing the energy consumption of holiday displays. This means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, making a huge difference for businesses and homes looking to minimise their environmental impact during the holiday season.

One other big difference is that LED lights are safer than their incandescent counterpart, as they do not contain toxic substances, such as mercury, making them a safe and eco-friendly choice as they are easier to recycle than other lighting sources. And along with these chemicals LED bulbs produce less ultraviolet and infrared radiation which can be harmful to the people handling them. Making LEDs safer and kinder to the environment and people.

Fun Fact: According to the U.S. Department of Energy, widespread use of LED lighting could save 348 TWh of electricity by 2030, equivalent to the annual electrical output of 44 large power plants.

Incandescent Bulb

Credits:ifixit.com

Cost Savings Over Time

LED lights not only consume less energy, but they also have a much longer lifespan than traditional lights. Where incandescent bulbs may last around 1,000 hours, LED bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours or more. This means less frequent replacement, fewer maintenance costs, and lower long-term expenditure.

For commercial clients with large holiday displays, these cost savings add up significantly over time. Residential clients also benefit from the durability and reliability of LED lights—ensuring they won’t need to repurchase lights season after season.

Terminal Tower Christmas Display

Credits: christmaslightsetc.com

How At Last Events Incorporates LED Lighting into Large-Scale Displays

Our expert team at At Last Events has extensive experience in the design, manufacturing, and installation of visually striking displays. LED lighting plays a key role in ensuring that these displays are not only beautiful but also environmentally friendly.

Whether it’s a festive retail space, an outdoor holiday event, or a residential installation, we use LED lighting to enhance the overall experience while reducing the environmental impact. From colour-changing light installations to custom designs that fit your specific brand or theme, we provide cutting-edge LED solutions that set your display apart.

Our process involves working closely with clients from the initial concept through to installation, ensuring that we meet your aesthetic and environmental goals.

Example: One of our previous installations an Pan Pacific in London is a perfect example eco-friendly solutions transforming a space. Using energy-efficient LED lighting that not only created a stunning visual impact but also resulted in energy savings for the entire duration of the display.

Pan Pacific Christmas Display by At Last Events

Credits: atlastevents.com

The Future of Sustainable Holiday Displays

As technology continues to advance, At Last Events remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of eco-friendly design solutions. LED lights are just one of the many ways we’re working toward more sustainable holiday displays, and we’re constantly researching and incorporating new methods to reduce environmental impact while maintaining the highest quality in our work.

By choosing LED lights for your holiday displays, you’re not just enhancing the visual appeal of your space—you’re also making a positive environmental choice.

Ready to light up your space sustainably? Let us help you design an eco-friendly display this holiday season that reflects both your festive spirit and your commitment to sustainability.