Help Make This Winter An LED Wonderland
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My local electric utility, Southern California Edison, had an article about LEDs in its quarterly newsletter that was helpful in summing up the benefits that LEDs bring to the table, which seems especially relevant as they relate to the winter light show that many adorn their houses with in the form of Christmas lights.
LEDs are fantastic upgrades for residential homeowners, as they are a quick way to cut your home electricity bill. Many don’t realize it, but lighting usage can be 20 to 50% of small business energy demand, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the energy reduction opportunities translate equally well to the home. Specifically, LED-based lighting solutions make tons of sense for lights being applied to Christmas trees, as they run much cooler than traditional lighting sources which can dry out trees and make them more prone to fire – a big problem with already fire-prone Christmas trees.
According to the U. S. Department of Energy, Energy Star®– Qualified LED lights use at least 75% less energy than incandescent lighting. LEDs are also fantastic investments for all in-home lighting, as they have a much longer life (22+ years) than traditional bulbs, which stretches the energy and cash savings coming from the initial investment over many years. LED lighting solutions are also more flexible than other home lighting sources, as the actual drivers – or the part of the bulb that generates the light – are very small and thus, allow for more creative applications.
For these reasons, pretty much anyone around the world can quickly and easily benefit from superior LED lighting through decreased energy costs, lower temperatures, reduced maintenance, more productivity, greater safety and a wider variety of color spectrum options – all just by swapping out a bulb. Let’s just hope that you remember how to do that when you have to change them again in 20+ years!
Compact Fluorescent lights were like the PHEVs of today – great transitional purchases to get some quick wins and savings but lacking the longevity and other positive characteristics of LEDs. With prices dropping on LEDs, and some government incentives available to cut the initial investment, LEDs are now the most energy-efficient, cost-effective, and safe lighting choice on the market today. When you’re out picking up a few new strands of LED Christmas bulbs, swing by and pick up a few LED lightbulbs to keep the savings going all year long!
We are currently test driving a few new LED units from a major manufacturer so keep your eyes peeled for our review of those in the next few days.
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