Everyone is talking about LED lighting and its immense benefits, but you may be wondering what exactly LEDs are and how they affect your lighting.
What are LED lights?
A lighting-emitting diode (LED) is rapidly gaining awareness due to its energy-saving capabilities and versatility for use in LED lighting for bedrooms, lighting landscape, recessed lighting, lighting under cabinets, lighting for commercial offices, and so much more. LED lights are semiconductor devices that emit visible lights to us through a process called electroluminescence (an electrical current passes directly through a phosphor to create light).
4 Ways LED bulbs are more efficient
LEDs are more energy-efficient than the typical incandescent or fluorescent bulb for a variety of reasons, but the top reasons are:
- Little heat and no UV emissions
- Low voltage operations
- High durability to allow a longer lifespan
- Ability to withstand frequent switching
These factors help to lower your energy costs and save you money over time. Let Patterson Electrical Services explain how.
How does LED lighting save money?
Though the initial costs of LED lights can be more expensive than traditional lights, they typically pay for themselves within the first few years and then save you money onwards. How? We can explain.
- Due to the very little heat it emits, LEDs require less power to operate resulting in decreased power usage. The Department of Energy explains that incandescent and fluorescent bulbs emit 80-90% of their energy into heat while LEDs emit almost no heat. There are also no UV rays discharged that can be harmful to your surrounding objects (and their life span) as well as your health.
- With less voltage being required to transfer the energy into visible light, the energy pulled to operate decreases meaning energy savings. LEDs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs allowing them to also last 25 times longer than their counterparts.
- Lower voltage operations and heat amount to decreased combustion rates and increased lifespan for individual bulbs. A quality LED bulb is 3 to 5 times more durable than incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs which increases the lifespan of your lights.
- When you switch a light on, a traditional fluorescent or incandescent light may flicker or take a second to turn on. This is caused by the power it is pulling to fully illuminate, and the surge can impact its lifespan negatively. An LED light can withstand frequent light switching of being on and off without any reduction to its lifespan or efficiency.
This all results in fewer light bulb replacements, major savings on energy bills, and a safer environment from burnt fingers or combustion due to less heat emitted from lights.
If more businesses and individuals switched to LEDs by 2027, the Department of Energy estimates we could save 347 terawatt-hours of electricity. That’s equivalent to 44 large power plants’ yearly output and cost savings of 30 billion dollars. You could save energy costs and make an environmental impact. However, LED lights do not fit in your traditional light placements which is why you will need a professional to install this energy-saving upgrade for you.
Learn more about our LED lighting solutions and begin your energy savings today.
