We've made good use of our Edison-made incandescent light bulbs but don't you think it's about time that we evolve our lighting to more efficient "smart" lighting?
Think of rotary phones as traditional incandescent light bulbs, push dial phones as CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulb), and our smart phones to LEDs.
When efficiency was wanted in how we use our phones, we’ve been pretty progressive. The reason why lighting technology hasn’t progressed and become more widespread as far as our phones is because we didn’t see the need. Now that making a greener world is more of a widespread concern (Thank goodness!), lighting technology has become really forthcoming with energy efficiency. CFLs were making their way into the mainstream; but with LED technology surpassing CFL lighting in so many ways, LEDs are becoming the "smart" lighting technology that everyone will want to have.
There is now legislation for incandescent bulbs to be phased out and banned in the United States, following the footsteps of other green energy conscience countries. So, our main two contenders are CFLs and LEDs.
Here are the top 10 reasons why LEDs are the smart solution.
1. Long lifespan. The lifespan of an LED bulb is two times longer than a CFL bulb and twenty times longer than a traditional incandescent bulb. A CFLs rated lifetime of 10,000 hours becomes a significantly shorter lifespan if switched on/off too often. It is recommended with CFLs to keep them on for longer than 15 minutes to keep their lifespan. That's fine in my living room, but not in my garage, closets, hallways . . . you get the point. However, there is no wear and tear when turning LEDs on and off. LEDs can also stay at full brightness for up to 100,000 hours of use and will get gradually dimmer over time when burning out. No more of the pop of burnt out filaments from incandescent bulbs, either.
2. LEDs are silent. No humming, buzzing, flickering, popping, or short tick sounds with LEDs.
3. LEDs are durable because they are built inside solid cases which reduce the risk of broken glass.
4. No more burnt fingers with a cool to the touch LED bulb. LEDs are significantly cooler when lit and are less of a fire hazard than incandescents and CFLs. Incandescents and CFLs both can get pretty darn hot and give you a nice, small space heater effect. Which brings us to reason number . . .
5. LEDs are the most energy efficient. While incandescent bulbs lose up to 90% of its energy to heat and remit 10% as light and CFL bulbs lose about 80% to heat, LED bulbs lose only about 20% to heat. Which means, all of the nonrenewable energy plants (nuclear, gas, oil) that produce our electricity can consume less of our resources. The consumer will also spend less on their electric bill from lighting savings and reduced A/C use.
*Quick side story - When I was in elementary school, I tried to trick my mom into thinking I had a fever so I could stay home. I held up a thermometer to a bulb (think I saw it in a movie or something) and the thermometer burst. . . which leads us to reason . . .
6. LEDs do not contain toxic substances. CFLs contain mercury. They work because they're gas-filled - mercury is the vapor inside the glass bulb that gets converted to light from an electric current. This is very dangerous for your home if the bulb happens to break. It is even worse for our environment when they go into our landfills. LEDs, on the other hand, are a solid state lighting (SSL) technology. They don't need filaments or toxic gas to produce light. An LED bulb works from using a semiconductor (a chip) and electroluminescence (when electrons are combined with electron holes inside an LED bulb to release photons - which emit as light). It is completely safe.
7. No UV emissions. CFLs radiate Ultra-Violet light; therefore, it is recommended that a bulb stay at least 1 foot away from you. LED bulbs don't produce any UV light. Another benefit for this is that most insects are more attracted to UV light. So you'll have the comfort in knowing that you reduce your health risks from UV light and have a reduction in bugs swarming your home or business. Isn't it gross cleaning out those dead bugs from your lighting?
8. LEDs are versatile and have so many possibilities. Colors without filters, dimming, water-proof and resistant - these are some of the features of an LED bulb. With so many functions and purposes, you can use them for spotlighting, ambiance, street lights, landscaping lighting, typical household use, and the list goes on. It's pretty darn cool what people choose to do with them.
9. LEDs are the best option to use with solar panels. Because so much less energy is required to use an LED light, solar panels can provide enough energy and still conserve stored energy for a longer period of time.
10. Environmentally green saving while saving the green in your wallet. LED bulbs save you money in so many ways due to the long lifespan and energy efficiency,. The number one complaint that people have with LEDs are that each bulb is more than what they're used to paying for a light bulb. However, CFLs have recently been reported to have an increase in price (due to the mercury concerns) by 25% while advancements in LED technology have been facilitating a price decrease. A consumer won't have to buy as many light bulbs - which also free up landfill space. LEDs are completely recyclable, too. As mentioned before, because of their energy efficiency and ability to produce less heat, they will also save on your electric bill. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates that if everyone opts for LED lights over the next 20 years, we can reduce electricity demands by 62%, eliminating 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions, and saving us from building 133 new power plants. That's pretty incredible, if you ask me.
So there's the list. I tried to keep it short, I promise. This entry turned out a lot longer than what I wanted but there are so many benefits for LEDs and I didn't want to skimp in letting you know them.
Please leave your feedback with your thoughts and opinions!
1. Long lifespan. The lifespan of an LED bulb is two times longer than a CFL bulb and twenty times longer than a traditional incandescent bulb. A CFLs rated lifetime of 10,000 hours becomes a significantly shorter lifespan if switched on/off too often. It is recommended with CFLs to keep them on for longer than 15 minutes to keep their lifespan. That's fine in my living room, but not in my garage, closets, hallways . . . you get the point. However, there is no wear and tear when turning LEDs on and off. LEDs can also stay at full brightness for up to 100,000 hours of use and will get gradually dimmer over time when burning out. No more of the pop of burnt out filaments from incandescent bulbs, either.
2. LEDs are silent. No humming, buzzing, flickering, popping, or short tick sounds with LEDs.
3. LEDs are durable because they are built inside solid cases which reduce the risk of broken glass.
4. No more burnt fingers with a cool to the touch LED bulb. LEDs are significantly cooler when lit and are less of a fire hazard than incandescents and CFLs. Incandescents and CFLs both can get pretty darn hot and give you a nice, small space heater effect. Which brings us to reason number . . .
5. LEDs are the most energy efficient. While incandescent bulbs lose up to 90% of its energy to heat and remit 10% as light and CFL bulbs lose about 80% to heat, LED bulbs lose only about 20% to heat. Which means, all of the nonrenewable energy plants (nuclear, gas, oil) that produce our electricity can consume less of our resources. The consumer will also spend less on their electric bill from lighting savings and reduced A/C use.
*Quick side story - When I was in elementary school, I tried to trick my mom into thinking I had a fever so I could stay home. I held up a thermometer to a bulb (think I saw it in a movie or something) and the thermometer burst. . . which leads us to reason . . .
6. LEDs do not contain toxic substances. CFLs contain mercury. They work because they're gas-filled - mercury is the vapor inside the glass bulb that gets converted to light from an electric current. This is very dangerous for your home if the bulb happens to break. It is even worse for our environment when they go into our landfills. LEDs, on the other hand, are a solid state lighting (SSL) technology. They don't need filaments or toxic gas to produce light. An LED bulb works from using a semiconductor (a chip) and electroluminescence (when electrons are combined with electron holes inside an LED bulb to release photons - which emit as light). It is completely safe.
7. No UV emissions. CFLs radiate Ultra-Violet light; therefore, it is recommended that a bulb stay at least 1 foot away from you. LED bulbs don't produce any UV light. Another benefit for this is that most insects are more attracted to UV light. So you'll have the comfort in knowing that you reduce your health risks from UV light and have a reduction in bugs swarming your home or business. Isn't it gross cleaning out those dead bugs from your lighting?
8. LEDs are versatile and have so many possibilities. Colors without filters, dimming, water-proof and resistant - these are some of the features of an LED bulb. With so many functions and purposes, you can use them for spotlighting, ambiance, street lights, landscaping lighting, typical household use, and the list goes on. It's pretty darn cool what people choose to do with them.
9. LEDs are the best option to use with solar panels. Because so much less energy is required to use an LED light, solar panels can provide enough energy and still conserve stored energy for a longer period of time.
10. Environmentally green saving while saving the green in your wallet. LED bulbs save you money in so many ways due to the long lifespan and energy efficiency,. The number one complaint that people have with LEDs are that each bulb is more than what they're used to paying for a light bulb. However, CFLs have recently been reported to have an increase in price (due to the mercury concerns) by 25% while advancements in LED technology have been facilitating a price decrease. A consumer won't have to buy as many light bulbs - which also free up landfill space. LEDs are completely recyclable, too. As mentioned before, because of their energy efficiency and ability to produce less heat, they will also save on your electric bill. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates that if everyone opts for LED lights over the next 20 years, we can reduce electricity demands by 62%, eliminating 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions, and saving us from building 133 new power plants. That's pretty incredible, if you ask me.
So there's the list. I tried to keep it short, I promise. This entry turned out a lot longer than what I wanted but there are so many benefits for LEDs and I didn't want to skimp in letting you know them.
Please leave your feedback with your thoughts and opinions!
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