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- Helping Customers Rule the Pool With Innovative, Energy-Efficient LED Lighting
Once upon a time, pool lighting was… well, not so exciting. White lights, while warm and inviting, were the only option for creating a welcoming nighttime oasis. Luckily, the pool industry has come a long way, with advances in LED lighting leading the way.
Today’s LED lighting offers unique customization options, improved lighting quality and more automation options while delivering additional energy efficiency – enabling pool owners to get the most out of their pool experience.
At Pentair, we have introduced an array of underwater LED lighting to our portfolio, which makes life easier for pool owners as they create the backyard oasis of their dreams. What those pool owners (and even many professionals in the pool industry) may not realize, however, is the fascinating innovation behind why LED lighting is a superior choice for pools and spas around the world.
A brief history of lighting
Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the first commercially viable incandescent light bulb, which had an expected lifetime of just 14.5 hours. It had such a short lifespan due to one key design element – its filament. A filament is a conducting wire or thread that produces light when heated by an electric current.
Five decades later, in the 1930s, incandescent lighting began to gain traction in pools with the introduction of wet-niche pool lights that dazzled swimmers everywhere. Pool lighting continued to evolve, becoming better at distributing illumination underwater, maintaining a cool temperature for lightbulbs, and embracing new innovations like fiberoptic lighting.
Why choose LED lighting?
More than 130 years after Edison’s invention, LED lighting became more widely available to consumers and businesses, offering a more energy-efficient, affordable and versatile option than incandescent lighting. Unlike incandescent bulbs that use a filament, LED bulbs employ a semiconductor that emits light when an electric current passes through it. Producing light through this method eliminates the influence of filament shape on the lifespan of the bulb.
After years of rising standards, new regulations from the Department of Energy have effectively banned the sale of most incandescent lightbulbs in the U.S. According to the regulations, lightbulbs must emit a minimum of 45 lumens per watt – about three times what an incandescent bulb emits. Any lightbulbs emitting less than that will no longer be produced, making it nearly impossible to find an incandescent lightbulb.
As in other applications, LED lighting provided a more efficient and effective lighting experience for pools and spas – now the industry standard. Pentair began using LED technology in backyard poolscapes with our first LED IntelliBrite® large niche light in 2007. After innovating and improving the design of that initial LED product, we launched the IntelliBrite® 5G Color and White LED Pool Light, which has been illuminating backyard paradises across the country for over a decade.
A brighter, more customized lighting experience
Optics in LED bulbs maximize light use by directing the photons only where the light is needed. The optic is a reflector that changes the shape of the light beam, directing the light to where it's needed most.
Well-designed LED illumination systems can achieve fantastic lighting effects, not only for the eye, but also for backyard enjoyment and safety through improved visibility. LED lighting can be combined to offer full pool illumination to cover larger pool areas and more effectively highlight a pool's sun shelves, curves, steps, swim-out areas and more.
Beyond offering more vibrant lighting and better visibility, LED lighting provides pool owners with unique options for customization, opening a new spectrum of nighttime pool possibilities.
For example, with five colored lights and seven color-changing light shows, our IntelliBrite Architectural Series, the newest and most brilliant lighting innovation from Pentair, allows pool owners to choose their mood with a variety of settings. And with Pentair’s Illuminated Water Features, pool owners can combine light and sound to deliver personality and movement to a pool, deck or spa with sounds to compliment your poolside.
Control at your fingertips with automated lighting
While LED lighting personalized the pool experience, automation made pool lighting more effortless than ever. Automation systems like our IntelliCenter® Pool Control System allow pool owners to connect equipment like lighting in one easy-to-manage control center. With the Pentair Home app, pool owners can set lighting schedules and turn lighting on and off with the tap of a finger on their smartphone.
And with our Color Sync™ Controller for Pentair Color LED Lights, pool owners can let their inner artist shine, setting up their favorite color modes and moods on an automated schedule. They can also ensure their backyard oasis is always ready by leveraging twilight mode, which includes automatic seasonal adjustments and weekday and weekend scheduling options.
More energy efficiency – helping pool owners and the planet
Not only are LED lights easy to use, but they also are better for the environment. This type of lighting gives more light using less power. LED lights use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and their costs have continued to decline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Pentair LED pool lights produce a bigger wow with fewer watts, leading to energy cost savings for pool owners.
Pool owners may be under increasing pressure to transition to LED lighting. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy issued legislation targeting the installation of more energy-efficient pool lighting. Luckily, Pentair pool lighting systems make it easy to upgrade old incandescent fixtures with energy-efficient white or multi-color LED solutions.
Across the board, LED lighting offers incredible benefits to pool and spa owners. From a more customized experience to easier control to better, more efficient lighting, pool owners can look to make a splash by adopting LED lighting.