How Your Lighting Choice Can Cut Your Electric Costs

Many Americans make wasteful decisions with their energy decisions, simply for lack of knowledge. Because of this, they are wasting energy and their dollar bills. But, we have a solution. Switching to a different type of lighting to light your home can save you tons of money and energy. We are talking about LED’s.

LED Lighting: What is it?

An LED light bulb, as compared to a traditional incandescent or fluorescent bulb, produces the same amount of light while only using about 1/8th as much power (energy). The LED stands for “Light Emitting Diode”, which is a semiconductor that emits light when electricity flows through it. LED lighting has been around since the 1960s, but only recently have they become efficient enough to replace other types of bulbs. When compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs, which are only 5-10% efficient, LED’s are about 75% efficient with the energy they use. This makes them much more environmentally friendly and will save you money on your electric bill each month.

LED Lighting: How Much Can You Save?

The average home spends around $200 per year on electric lighting costs. LED lighting can save you up to 80% of that cost depending on the type of bulb you use. $80 per year is only $7 every month, which adds up quickly! To put this into perspective, if you used one 60 watt LED light bulb instead of a 100 watt incandescent light bulb for 10 hours each day, you would save $30 in electricity costs every year. That’s a 3 month supply of gasoline or enough to buy a brand new LED TV!

LED Lighting: Which Bulb is the Best?

The life and cost-efficiency of these kinds of bulbs is dependent on how long they last and how much energy they consume. Most LED bulbs can last up to 10 years, which is about 35 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. The average incandescent bulb will only last 1000 hours of regular use. If you were to use it for 3 hours per day, this would only equate to around 2 months of regular use.

LED lights are more expensive for the energy efficient, but if you think about what you’re saving in the long-run, it will justify that initial investment. In addition to lower energy costs, many LED bulbs have a “life-time warranty” which guarantees that they will not break for their lifespan of 10 years or more.

LED Lighting: Where Can You Get Them?

Just as with any other type of light bulb, you can find them at the local hardware store. The real question is where you can find the best price. Since LED’s are just becoming popular in the mainstream, they are still somewhat pricey when compared to other light bulbs.

In order to find the best price, you can shop around for LED light bulbs online. There are a lot of websites that have them for sale, often at very low prices and free shipping. Just make sure to compare options before you make a purchase. Since LED lighting is still relatively new, it’s important to understand that there are different levels of energy efficiency and brightness for this type of light bulb. Some can be as bright as 100 watts, while others are 40 watt lights. You need to know how much light you want before making your purchase.

For those who want to make their home even more energy efficient, they can also browse through Power to Choose Texas to compare energy plans and find the best electricity rates in their area. Dallas electricity rates are now more competitive than ever, thanks to the deregulation of the Texas energy market. Houston energy plans are also available to help consumers save money on their energy bills. For more information on the best plans for your needs, read 4Change Energy reviews for more insight. And for extra protection, you can also look into home warranty plans for your appliances.