What Are the Benefits of LED Lighting?
Your lighting choices can transform how your home looks, but they also have implications for energy efficiency, longevity, and your monthly electric bills. Most older homes have outdated light bulbs, such as incandescent, halogen, and compact fluorescent lamps. However, light-emitting diode bulbs—commonly known as LEDs—have taken the lighting world by storm. When it comes to your home renovation projects, here are just a few reasons why you should consider LED lighting installation.
Types of Light Bulbs
When it comes to choosing a light bulb, there are multiple options to choose from.
Incandescent Bulbs
Incandescent light bulbs have been commonly used in households for years. They are made up of a wire filament inside a glass bulb that heats up until it emits a warm, yellowish light. Incandescent bulbs are the least expensive light bulb on the market, but they are also energy-inefficient. Less than 5% of the energy from an incandescent bulb is emitted as light; the remaining 95% is lost to heat.
Halogen Lamps
Halogen lamps are a type of incandescent light bulb with some minor upgrades. Because the filament of a halogen lamp is made of tungsten, these bulbs can get warmer than a normal incandescent bulb and produce light that is higher in colour temperature. However, both light sources are relatively energy-inefficient.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)
Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) were intended to be an energy-saving light source that would phase out incandescent bulbs. Instead of a filament, CFLs contain mercury-bound electrons that emit visible light. They are 25% more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, but they tend to flicker, and their lifespan decreases as you switch them on and off.
Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Bulbs
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the #1 light bulb choice for your home. Not only are they 80-95% more efficient than other light bulb types, but they also have a longer lifespan, a more focused, consistent glow, and can be dimmed down to your preferred level of light. These bulbs operate via a semiconductor that can convert electrical energy into light energy.
Benefits of LEDs
LED lighting is the best choice for your home renovation projects. Here are the top five benefits of LEDs.
LEDs Are More Energy-Efficient
Did you know LED lighting is up to 90% more efficient than incandescent lighting and 80% more efficient than CFLs? This is mainly due to LEDs needing less power to operate. For instance, a 60W incandescent bulb produces the same amount of light as a 7W LED bulb.
The Cost of LEDs Has Decreased
When LEDs became popular in the 2000s, many people resisted the price tag because they were more expensive than the traditional incandescent bulb. However, since then, the cost of LED light bulbs has decreased by over 80%, making them more affordable now than ever before.
LEDs Help Save Money on Bills Over Time
While incandescent and halogen bulbs last for 1200-3000 hours and CFLs can last up to 35,000 hours, LEDs have a lifespan of over 50,000 hours. The long lifespan, coupled with the significantly higher energy efficiency, suggests that LED lighting installation is the obvious choice if you’re looking to save money on bills in the long run.
LEDs Slowly Dim Over Time
LED bulbs don’t burn out; the LED mechanism allows for the bulb to dim out gradually over time. The benefit is that you don’t need to replace these bulbs as often, as long as you don’t mind a slightly dimmer light. Since they can last about 50 times longer than an incandescent bulb, you’ll find yourself replacing them far less often.
You Can Use Fewer LED Bulbs to Create Similar Light to Other Bulb Types
Are you worried that replacing your incandescent bulbs with LEDs will affect the look and feel of the lighting in your home? Well, no need to fear because you can achieve the same glow with LEDs by using fewer bulbs. This is because the light emitted from LEDs is more focused than that produced by other bulb types.
Hire a Master Electrician to Install LEDs in Your Home!
At MMi Electrical Services, we are happy to provide LED lighting services and to make recommendations on how to select energy-efficient and cost-effective lighting choices for your home. If you’re ready to level up to LEDs, contact us today.