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 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
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