10 Reasons to Switch to LED’s

10 Reasons to Switch to LEDs

 

#1: Long Lifetime

Arguably the best reason to switch to LED’s is their very long life expectancy of 50,000 hours on average. More tradition lighting like incandescent or CFLs have an average life expectancy of 1500 hours. For environments with lighting needs of 12 or more hours per day (commercial spaces, hotels, restaurants etc…) it would take 8-12 years before you’d need to replace an LED bulb, where a CFL would need to be replaced after around 2-5 months. For applications that require lighting for 8 hours a day or less (your home for example), LED bulbs can last can last up to 20 years before needing to be replaced! Imagine not having to change a single light bulb in your home or business for a decade or more? On top of that, you’d be saving thousands of dollars in replacement bulbs. Which brings us to reason #2…

 

#2: Low Power Consumption

LEDs consume 80-90% less electricity than conventional light bulbs. Standard 65W halogens, for example, can be replaced with 5W LED equivalents that not only use far less energy, but also provide far better light quality (see reason #3). This massive reduction in energy consumption greatly minimizes your carbon footprint, and the savings on your electric bill will be noticed immediately. The return on investment for someone retrofitting their home with LEDs can be seen in as little as 6 months. For business owners retrofitting their store, or chains of stores, this return on investment can be seen in shockingly little time. For great examples of this, take a look at a few case studies we have done on several of our customers. https://eco-story.com/case-studies/

 

#3: Lighting Quality

LEDs have a higher lumen to watt ratio. Lumens measure the brightness of the light source: the higher the lumen output the brighter the bulb will be. With LEDs having higher lumens at lower wattage, a much lower watt LED can provide equal or greater illumination than its higher powered CFL or incandescent counterpart. LEDs also brighten up instantly when powered on with no flickering. In contrast fluorescent lightbulbs don’t provide maximum illumination until they have been running for a few minutes and they tend to flicker when switched on.

 

#4: Produce No Heat

Unlike incandescent and fluorescent bulbs that get so extremely hot when used they can burn you when touched, LEDs can be handled with ease even after they’ve been on for hours and hours. This heat reduction means LEDs carry less risk of causing an accidental fire. Something else to take into consideration are the costs to cool a room heated by traditional lightbulbs. With LEDs not adding heat to an already hot room, the cooling costs will be significantly lowered.

 

 #5: Dimming

LEDs can be dimmed and are compatible with most dimming systems. This gives you complete control of the lighting in any space you are using LEDs. The dimming range of LEDs is far greater than more traditional lighting options, such as fluorescent, and can smoothly dim from 100% light output to under 10% with no flickering. Dimmable “mood” lighting is common in homes and restaurants but is being used more in more in many different applications such as office spaces and schools, to name a few.

 

#6: Color

Fluorescent lighting is almost synonymous with drab/boring lighting (think a typical office space). There are some exceptions to the rule but for most applications fluorescents produce an unwelcoming lighting color. Alternatively, LEDs provide a range of different colors for a wide variety of lighting applications. They can range from very warm/yellow all the way up to cool/white to match a fluorescent bulbs color. A numerical value is given to color emitted from a light source and is referred to as the Kelvin Color Temperature scale. The lower the Kelvin color the warmer the light being emitted with be. Because of the wide range of Kelvin colors LEDs come in, they can be used in almost any environment or lighting situation.

 

#7: Lower labor and replacement costs

One of the larger issues business owners face with lighting is the constant bulb replacement that occurs with more traditional lighting such as CFLs or halogens. The cost for replacing a light bulb may not seem like a lot at first, but when you are replacing a bulb here and a bulb there every few weeks, these costs add up very quickly. This issue is only made worse when the area with a burnt out bulb is hard to reach requiring employees to climb up ladders or, even worse, renting a lift to reach the needed areas to simply change a light bulb. As discussed in reason #1, a single LED bulb can last decades. The long lifetime of LEDs eliminates the need to constantly purchase and change your light bulbs providing you yet another way to save money, this time in the form of material and labor costs associated with endless light bulb replacement.

 

#8: Great for Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting with more traditional sources can at times be problematic. Where a more traditional lighting source, such as CFLs, will lose much of its output in colder temperatures (or just flat-out not work), LEDs are unaffected making them a superior choice for outdoor lighting applications. Many LEDs are rated for damp conditions and many outdoor LED fixtures, such as LED wall packs, are rated for wet conditions. With most outdoor lighting typically being in higher, difficult to reach places, LEDs longevity means not having to constantly change bulbs in outdoor fixtures. Functionality, reliability and longevity have made LEDs the best choice for nearly all outdoor lighting applications.

 

 #9: Cost

The cost of LED lamps has dropped fivefold since they first hit the market.  This means that, after electricity savings are calculated, your payback can be as quick as a month for commercial applications. Eco-Story has done numerous case studies to showcase just how quickly you can see a return on your investment. From large chain stores, to office buildings, to a single small commercial space retrofitted with LEDs, most saw a return on their investment in less than a year. You can view our case studies here, https://eco-story.com/case-studies/., To calculate what your savings and return on investment would be for your home or business, visit our savings calculator here, https://eco-story.com/calculate-saving/.

 

 #10: Rebates

If the previous 9 reasons weren’t incentive enough to switch over to LEDs for your home or business, many areas offer incentives in the form of rebates that will cover all or part of the cost of installing LEDs. There is an enormous amount of money dedicated each year to promoting energy efficient lighting by utility companies. Many utilities nationwide have several lighting rebate programs, some designed for simple residential retrofits, and other larger programs designed for retrofitting large scale commercial projects. Lighting rebates are some of the most simple to apply for with short, easy applications and fast turnaround times. Many residential programs even offer instant rebates at the time of purchase. Lighting rebates do vary from state to state, so to find out what sort of lighting rebates are offered in your area contact your electric provider for details.