National LED Light Day is this month so we thought we’d share information about some of the benefits of the most efficient lighting you can purchase and how you can light your home using the same amount of light for less money.
Did you know that the average household dedicates about five percent of its energy budget to lighting? By switching out your home’s five most frequently used light fixtures, you can save up to $75 each year. In fact, switching to energy-efficient lighting is one of the fastest ways to reduce your energy bill.
LEDs produce light approximately 90 percent more efficiently than other light bulbs. LEDs use at least 75 percent less energy and last 25 times longer than the traditional incandescent bulbs they replace. Good quality LED bulbs can have a useful life of 25,000 hours or more. That’s more than three years if they are run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, LEDs are so long-lasting that a string of LED holiday lights could still be in use 40 holiday seasons from now.
While LED bulbs are more expensive, they still save money because they last a long time and have very low energy use. LED bulbs are available in many products such as replacement bulbs for 40W, 60W, and 75W traditional incandescents, reflector bulbs for recessed fixtures & small track lights, desk lamps, kitchen under cabinet lighting and outdoor lights.
LEDs work well indoors and outdoors because of their durability and performance in cold environments. Look for LED products for pathway lights, step lights and porch lights for outdoor use. You can also find solar-powered outdoor lighting as an environmentally friendly alternative.
LEDs are also safer because they are much cooler than incandescent lights, reducing the risk of combustion and burnt fingers. They also do not contain mercury and have a smaller environmental impact than incandescent bulbs did. These bulbs are also much sturdier and made with epoxy lenses, not glass, so they are much more resistant to breakage.
If the United States switched entirely to LED lights over the next two decades, it could save $250 billion in energy costs, reduce electricity consumption for lighting by nearly 50 percent and avoid 1,800 million metric tons of carbon emissions