Over the last few years, LED lights have become a popular lighting choice in homes, offices, and shops across the world.
LED bulbs & light fixture sales have slowly but surely eaten into the market share of traditional lighting options like incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lights or CFLs and even halogen lights.
It shows no signs of stopping and the number of people switching to LED light is expected to keep growing.
So why is everyone switching to LED lights? Let’s take a look and break down eight reasons why…
1. LED Lights Use LESS Energy Than Other Lighting Choices
LED lights generally use a whopping 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs that offer the same amount of light and brightness output.
90% is a staggering number and this is made possible by how LED bulbs are designed.
When electricity runs through a traditional, old school light bulb, it channels into the bulb’s filament that will then generate a large amount of heat before producing any light. This process is similar to “priming” an engine or water pump. The initial amount of heat, however, gets wasted in the end.
With an LED bulb, on the other hand, the light is instantly generated as soon as the electric current passes through the bulb. There is no “priming” or waiting time and less/no wasted heat made which translates into significant energy savings.
So if you have a 100w incandescent bulb, for example, the LED equivalent would be a 10w bulb.
For other lighting types, LED lights are 80% more efficient than CFLs and 75% more vs. halogen bulbs.
Making the switch to LED lighting will significantly reduce the amount of power necessary to run your home.
2. LED Lighting Systems Are Environmentally Friendly
Of all the lighting options available, LEDs are the only type that uses 100% recyclable material.
They can be repurposed into something else, saving our natural resources. They won’t become landfill fodder like the traditional, unrecyclable bulbs.
LEDs are also mercury-free, unlike fluorescent and CFL bulbs that contain extremely toxic mercury which need extra work to ensure they are disposed of safely.
And because LED lights last longer than others, they don’t need to be replaced as frequently, so there will be less waste in terms of packaging, transportation, marketing and disposal.
3. LED Lighting Systems Are More Affordable
When LEDs were first available in stores, most consumers found them very expensive. The higher cost was due to it being new technology with manufacturers only beginning to mass-produce them.
But these days, LED retail price points have dropped, and are now just a bit more expensive than the cost of CFLs and fluorescents. Packaging has also improved, and most manufacturers even offer two to three-year product replacement warranties which is a great deal for most home and business owners.
Of course, once you ultimately convert your bulbs to LED, you will find your monthly electricity bills are now more affordable as well since they use 90% less energy than old bulbs.
4. LED Lights are Long-Lasting
If you have fluorescent room lights, CFL lamp lights and even halogen spotlights around your home, you know how annoying they are to replace since they die regularly.
You won’t have this problem too much with LED lights since they last about 20 to 25 times longer than halogen lights and incandescent bulbs, and three to four times longer than CFLs.
You no longer need to keep a box of over a dozen spare bulbs in your basement. Maybe two spare LED bulbs will now do for the whole house. You can also keep your ladder in storage longer because you won’t be changing bulbs frequently anymore.
5. LED Lighting Is Convenient & Versatile
LEDs are reliable lighting systems and won’t just suddenly die on you. You plug it in and forget about it. At most, take note of when you started using them to monitor how long they will last.
In terms of lighting design and actual daily use, LEDs are more versatile because they offer directional lighting, allowing you to position and focus them on where the light is needed.
There are so many varieties of LED lights available as well that you can adapt to your home’s particular design.
6. LED Lights Offer A Wide Range of Colour Choices
Contrary to popular belief, LED lights don’t just emit a single coloured light similar to those used in LED car headlights which is a bright and sterile (almost) blue-ish hue.
LED bulbs are available in a wide range of colour choices from the warm colour emitted by incandescent bulbs to thousands of others without any filters, acetates or light gels. This makes LED lights a popular choice for mood lighting, event styling lighting, and even traffic signals.
What you can be sure of is that whatever colour you choose, your LED light will emit this light consistently, with the same intensity throughout unlike conventional light fittings that flicker and sometimes fade.
7. LED Light Bulbs Are the Safer & Healthier Choice
LED lights do not emit heat and stay cool even while being used. No heat will save a lot of burnt fingers when you have to touch them, and there is a lower chance of hot or blown bulbs causing any fires.
They also protect your hearing since they are entirely silent. Traditional bulbs, especially CFLs, are usually accompanied by a slight humming sound while you turn them on and as long as they stay on. That buzz you hear is caused by the light fixture’s ballast which is a small transformer. The sound can be highly distracting and even irritating, adding to your stress and home’s noise level too.
You’ll be spared from the annoying flickering of most traditional bulbs. These can cause headaches, migraines, and even light triggered seizures. LED bulbs emit their light in the same constant intensity for however long you use them to help save your eyes as well
Finally, LEDs come in all colours that you can even use to mimic natural light, decreasing levels of stress, anxiety, eye strain and even skin issues when used inside the home or office.
8. LED Lights Turn on Immediately
For those who grew up with incandescent lights or CFLs, we’ve all experienced going into a dark bedroom, flicking the light switch on, and then waiting for the bulb to emit light and then having to wait some more for the bulb to reach full brightness.
LED lights achieve full brightness as soon as you flick the switch on. It might sound like such a small thing to have to worry about, however, for those who are elderly or have sight issues, waiting around in darkness or half-light is not safe.
Making the Switch To LED
LED bulbs are a revolutionary change in how we light our homes and public spaces.
Many people have made the switch from the more expensive and environmentally wasteful lighting options like CFLs and incandescent bulbs to LEDs, and now we know why.
But if you still have questions and concerns about them, let us know!
Contact Smillie Electrical and we can help walk you through the process.
We can help you with the following:
- Choosing the right lighting fixtures
- Coming up with the lighting design of any room in your home based on how much natural light it receives as well we what you’ll use the room for
- Checking any issues with your current lighting setup
Our licensed and experienced staff can even come to your aid during any emergencies. Give us a call today!
