Have you noticed your neighbors swapping out conventional incandescent lights with LED lights? You may wonder if this is just a trend or if making the switch is truly saving Kansas City homeowners on their electric bills.
In order to help homeowners make an informed decision, Fusion Electric is breaking down this bright idea and all the benefits that come with making the switch to LED lighting.
What Is an LED Light?
LED lights, or Light Emitting Diodes, were invented just eighty years after Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb. Although they have been around for years, recent developments in technology have LED bulbs growing more popular as an alternative to conventional incandescent and fluorescent bulbs.
You may have heard of them due to their energy savings and heat reduction potential, but the benefits don’t stop there. To compare potential annual savings between a typical incandescent bulb and an LED bulb, check out this handy LED savings calculator.
How LED Bulbs Work
The technology itself of an LED light is much more intuitive than an incandescent bulb. Incandescents work by heating a coil to the point at which it glows, while LEDs produce light by allowing negative electrons to combine with a positively charged solid, usually silicon or gallium. Since negative and positive particles attract each other, and the electron moves at the speed of light, the force of the negative particle combining with the positive ion releases light.
What’s Makes LED Bulbs Different?
LEDs produce a color of intense white light which is more energizing and better replicates natural light than the muddy orange hue of incandescents. If you are not a fan of bright LED light, you can now purchase different hues of lighting to best fit your preferences.
Once you find the LED bulbs you prefer, switching your home to energy-efficient lighting is easy! LEDs fit into any light bulb socket, and last anywhere from 6 to 30 years per bulb depending on usage.
Are LED Light Bulbs More Expensive?
With more recent technology, the LED is now more economically viable than it ever has been before. Check out the graphic to the left and you’ll see that LED lights require much less electricity per unit of light created compared to both the incandescent and fluorescent light bulb. This also means a few more benefits for consumers:
For every incandescent light bulb replaced by an LED, the consumer saves upwards of 50 dollars a year including the cost of replacements. This means that homeowners save hundreds of dollars annually by switching to LEDs. - Since electricity is produced primarily by coal and natural gas, LED light bulbs are better for the environment than incandescents. Furthermore, since LEDs don’t contain hazardous gases, they are also more environmentally friendly than fluorescent bulbs and safer for your home.
For every incandescent light bulb replaced by an LED, the 