LED lighting has recently become one of the leaders in sustainable, energy-efficient, durable lighting. As technology has advanced, its application has expanded from flashlights to include interior lighting, landscape lighting and more. In order to meet consumer demand, you can now buy LED lighting in the same styles that you can buy your more traditional incandescent bulbs, meaning that you do not have to deal with the unsightliness of many compact fluorescent light bulbs. While you may not need an electrician to trade out your old bulbs with more efficient LED bulbs, you may want to get in touch if you wish to install new lights or fixtures.
The greatest benefit of LED light bulbs is the fact that they have a very long lifespan and low energy consumption. In order to properly understand this, we need to compare LEDs against other light bulb technologies. An incandescent bulb, for example, will typically last for around 1,000 hours. A compact fluorescent bulb can last for about 8,000 hours. An LED bulb, on the other hand, will function for up to 30,000 hours. This is a very significant increase over both incandescent and compact fluorescent technologies. LEDs are also free of mercury, which has become a point of contention regarding CFLs.
In addition to lasting longer, LEDs are also much more efficient than other light bulb technologies. Because of this, they give off less heat and consume much less energy than other lights. As a result, there are many applications, which you can discuss with a local electrician, that are perfect for LED bulbs. The efficiency of LED bulbs is almost as astounding as the lifespan. When compared to other bulbs, an LED is the clear winner. While an incandescent uses 40 watts, an equivalent CFL uses 8-12 watts. In contrast, an equivalent LED will use only 4-5 watts. As a result, you can provide the same lighting at 10% of the amount of energy required with a traditional incandescent bulb. Because lighting can amount for up to 25% of your energy budget, switching your bulbs to cost and energy-effective LEDs can very quickly have a huge impact on your budget.
In most cases, LED manufacturers compare their light bulbs directly with incandescent bulbs. This makes shopping for equivalent LED bulbs very easy. In addition to comparing watts (a 45-watt incandescent, for example, is normally equivalent with a 3-watt LED), you should also be able to locate light ratings in lumens on your packaging. If you desire, you can compare lumens between different bulbs. If you have trouble finding the bulbs that you need, get in touch with an electrician. They should help you determine exactly what you need. The most common type of LED for standard application is a diffused light bulb. This type of bulb uses several LEDs and diffuses their light evenly so that you can light your room in the same way that you are accustomed. If you are looking for more focused lights, for use in spots or other applications, choose accordingly. Whether you are switching your lights out in one fell swoop, or just replacing them as you go, switching to LED lights in your home is a smart, sustainable and very cost-effective way to lower your lighting expenses.
