LED lights are pretty common nowadays, and you may even have some in your home or apartment without realizing it. You may have been told that they’re better than other types of lights, but do they use up a lot of electricity?
In general, LED lights do not use up a lot of electricity. This is especially true when LEDs are compared to other types of lights such as an incandescent light bulb or a fluorescent light bulb. In fact, LED lights are known for their energy-saving abilities.
Read on to learn more about LED lights, their electricity usage, and why I say “absolutely!” when people ask “Is switching to LED lights worth it?”
Not at all. In fact, LED lights are known for saving energy. LEDs are estimated to use at least 75% less energy than incandescent lighting. That’s a lot of energy!
LEDs consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs. The Department of Energy estimates that by 2027, widespread use of LEDs could save the equivalent of the annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants combined.
There is a huge potential for savings!
LED lights use a different technology than traditional light bulbs. In an LED light, a certain process happens:
Most of the energy used by an LED creates light. Which is what you would hope a lightbulb does, right? But by comparison, ninety percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs escapes as heat.
In addition to this, LEDs also emit light in a specific direction. With other types of lighting, the light has to be reflected in the desired direction and more than half of the light may never leave the fixture.
Nope! There are so many LED products out there that can save you energy and money. Here are a few of our favorites-
Almost any lighting product you had pre-LEDs now exists in LED form. Every year, there are new options on the market.
They are definitely cheaper than their counterparts. The less energy used, the less your electricity bill will be. And LEDs use up much less energy than other options.
Studies have shown that you can save up to $1,000 over a ten-year period.
Here’s a quick chart comparing incandescent to LED’s when it comes to savings.
|
Incandescent bulb |
LED bulb |
|
|
Price per bulb per year |
$5.18 |
$1.20 |
|
Price per bulb over 10 years |
$78.80 |
$17.25 |
LED lights last much longer. LED bulbs last 10 years but can sometimes last longer. Incandescent bulbs last only one year.
This is a great thing because a longer-lasting bulb leads to spending much less money to replace that bulb in the long run.
This also means you won’t have to think about changing your bulbs as often, which can be extremely convenient. If you have a light fixture that’s high up, or hard to reach, it’s always a good feeling to know you don’t have to worry about changing its bulbs for another ten years.
Well, great news! All of our lights over at STKR are LED. But if you’re looking for a type of LED light that we don’t carry (we’re not big into the holiday light thing) then you can go to any local hardware store and they’ll hook you up.
As LEDs are becoming more and more popular, it’s becoming more standard for all hardware stores to carry them.
Yes! But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. We don't recommend leaving any type of light on all day because it's bad for your wallet, and for the environment.
As a general rule though, LED lights are long-lasting and can be left on all day and every day. Because LEDs produce minimal amounts of heat, they aren’t a risk for starting any fires.
But just remember, no matter what type of light you use, the longer you leave the lights on, the higher your electric bill will be.
They’re actually safer than other options. The number one hazard when it comes to lighting is the emission of heat. LEDs emit almost no forward heat. This means there’s virtually no risk of a fire or heat-related injury.
In addition to this, unlike CFL’s there’s no mercury in LEDs, which also makes them much safer. Mercury can be extremely hazardous, and a big safety issue for households with younger children.
We think so! The only reason to choose to replace one or two instead of all is the cost factor. As the LED bulbs cost more upfront (though they save you plenty over time). Outside of that, there’s really no reason not to replace all of your old bulbs with LEDs.
We’ll be honest, there aren’t very many cons to LEDs, and the pros outweigh the cons by a mile. But here are a few to keep in mind-
You may have heard that LED lights attract bugs. Is this true?
Yes and no. Bugs are attracted to lights in general because they mistake the light source for the moon. And some are also attracted to the heat that comes off of the light.
But studies have revealed that LED lights attract fewer bugs than other light types because insects are attracted to ultraviolet light (invisible light) unlike LEDs that transform electrical energy into visible light.
In addition to this, LED lights are cooler than other types of lights. So bugs that are attracted to lights as a heat source won’t find LEDs nearly as attractive. Sorry bugs!
We’ve talked about how they conserve energy, but how exactly does that help planet earth?
LED lights do not use up a lot of electricity when compared to other types of lights. They are more efficient than any other type of lighting, they save you money, and they are much safer than other types of lighting.
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