Are LED lights a smart buy?

Saving energy at home is good for the environment and often for the pocketbook too. Yet the memory of dad yelling, “Turn out the lights when you leave a room!” or “Shut the door; I’m not trying to air condition the whole neighborhood?!” doesn’t exactly inspire thoughts of conservation.

As for your deeply seeded father issues, you may want a therapist for that, but we can definitely help with one smart, proven way to save energy. LED lights have been around for awhile, but it hasn’t been until recently that they finally came down in cost rendering them both cost effective and stunningly cheap.

THE LED WAY TO SAVE ENERGY

  • What if I told you that you could reduce a common household chore to once every 20 years? Would you be interested in hearing more? Yes. The answer is yes, you would be.

 

We’ve come a long way since karosene lamps.
The average karosene lamp produces 37 lumens while a 12 watt LED bulb produces 950 Lumens.

Whether it’s a simple initial case of sticker shock or possibly an undying love for Thomas Edison, the American public has largely chosen not to adopt LED light bulbs over the less efficient incandescent bulb. Yes, it is less expensive in the short term to buy incandescent lights, but a study of the lifetime costs of incandescent, CFL, and LED light bulbs reveals a clear winner after ten years. Yes, ten years is a long time, but consider this:

REAL COST OVER 10 YEARS

(Real costs of purchasing, using (and replacing) all three types of light bulbs over a ten year period)

LED

CFL

Incandescent

(source:  http://greenlivingideas.com/2015/02/19/the-true-cost-of-light-bulbs-led-cfl-incandescent/).

No matter how you spin it, switching your entire home to LED lights is long-term smart and very energy efficient. Now only if you could find a way to take out the trash once every 20 years.


MICHAEL MURPHY

4Change Energy Michael is earning a Master’s Degree in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. When he isn’t working on 4Change Energy design projects, Michael can be found jogging the countless biking and running trails around the Dallas area.

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