Why Choose LED Lights - An Insider Experience (Guest Blog)

The trend in lighting is moving towards more widespread adoption of LEDs for residential as well as commercial use. Today, builders of new homes are installing LED bulbs in many fixtures, and as its prices continue to go down, this trend is going to grow. A little knowledge about these bulbs will help you get the best value for your dollar.

            I love using LED because I am tired of changing my bulbs every 2- months. And before I changed to LED I changed all bulbs to CFL. Which has its own negative points. Waiting for the room to have normal lighting after turning on my lights and sudden flickers was something i was annoyed with. I also hated the brightness and the color of the florescent light which was not a warm white.  Looking at them caused my headaches to accentuate. I started researching different bulbs, specially LEDs, but there were too many choices for me to make a decision. That is when I decided to get help from different resources online. 

 As I searched the net and Google, I found a building supply company that helped me choose the best look, colors, and the wattage.  I decided to change all the bulbs in my house; I replaced my 75 watt incandescent lights with 9 watt LED lights. I have been very satisfied with my decision and enjoy the warm white color and lower energy bill every month.

 I am now planning to build a new house so I called globaltrendsbuildingsupply.com to get some ideas for sustainable lighting fixtures and bulbs for my new home. They offered me a 4 inch LED lighting system that requires no transformer and is ready to be wired with my 110 V wiring. Not only do I love the look , I also like the price; it is considerably lower since the proposed lighting fixture and bulbs do not require a transformer and utilize LED technology. I am very grateful for the new lights and fixtures that allow my new house to be more eco-friendly and more energy efficient.

 

Here is some additional information I found on other blogs that helped me make the switch to the LED bulbs I bought at globaltrendsbuildingsupply.com:

Here are a few tips to help you make sense of the many energy-efficient lighting solutions on the market today, and how to choose the best LED bulb for your lighting needs.

The main indicator on the light bulb  should be “lumens”, which will replace the current “watts”. 

Incandescent Watts	CFL Watts	LED Watts	Lumens (Brightness)
40 60 75 – 100 100 150	8 – 12 13 – 18 18 – 22 23 – 30 30 – 55	4 – 5 6 – 8 9 – 13 16 – 20 25 – 28	450 890 1210 1750 2780

Comparing lumens will enable you to compare the brightness level each bulb will deliver. After you determine the lumen level you prefer, you can then look to other indicators such as energy efficiency, lifetime run cost, and dimmability to select the ideal bulb for your application.

There are many disadvantages to using an energy efficient florescent lights such as slight hesitation before brightness is achieved  and some bulbs may flicker during warm up or even during operation. unlike fluorescent, LED bulbs, like incandescent bulbs, reach full illumination as soon as they are turned on. This is a real advantage over CFL (candescent fluorescent light ) bulbs in areas of the home where lights are frequently turned on and off. Also, LED lights produce a steady light which does not flicker. They last a long time and unlike other light bulbs, they do not burn out, but rather dim over time.

#1 LEDs won’t contribute to heat buildup in your home

Homeowners are increasingly interested in measures which can help reduce the amount of heat generated within the home. Electric lighting is one of the main culprits. Incandescent lights produce ideal illumination in terms of brightness and quality of light, but they also produce a considerable amount of heat. The heat contribution from an incandescent bulb is significant. LED bulbs, by contrast, remain cool. High power LEDs are designed with heat sinks, usually aluminum struts around the lower bulb, which keeps operating temperatures low. They do not contribute to heat buildup in a room.  

#2 Insects are not attracted to UV-free LED bulbs

Many LED bulbs (but not all) do not give off ultraviolet light, which is known to attract flying insects. Check the package label for UV information if you are interested in this feature.

There are also specialty LED bulbs which have yellow lenses or bulbs, which are designed for outdoor use in carports, decks or on patios. These yellow bulbs will not attract the bugs and moths which seem to cluster around ordinary white bulbs. These bulbs produce adequate light for the intended area; they just don’t attract bugs.

#3 Don’t let the sticker price shock you

The initial cost of LED bulbs may be misleading to consumers unfamiliar with the new ones. While the initial cost of an LED bulb is higher than the cost of an incandescent or CFL bulb, the savings is recouped over time because the bulb will last longer and use less energy than other bulbs. You will see the savings in your electric bill.

Guest Post - Submitted by Ethan Conwell