As a homeowner, one of your biggest expenses is likely your energy bill. When you first start looking at ways to reduce it, one popular method you may come across is upgrading your existing lighting to be more energy efficient. Below, we’ll discuss some energy-efficient lighting upgrades you can make and how they can be beneficial to your household and budget.
What Is Energy-Efficient Lighting?
While you may not give your household lighting much thought, it can greatly impact your quality of life and your budget. Outdated forms of lighting include incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. These consume a lot of energy and can lead to insufficient lighting for a variety of household tasks.
Both LED and CFL lighting are more energy-efficient options that offer brighter light at a much cheaper price tag. LED stands for light-emitting diode and is the most energy-efficient lighting option on the market today. CFL stands for compact fluorescent lamp and is the second most energy-efficient lighting option for homeowners.
Lower Energy Bills
Traditional incandescent bulbs only convert about 10% of the energy they consume into light. The remaining 90% is released as heat into the surrounding air. When you upgrade to LED lighting, you’ll use about 80% to 90% less energy while still emitting the same brightness. When you opt for replacing all your outdated, inefficient lighting with new LED lighting, that can translate to a great deal of energy savings.
Longer Useable Lifespan
Another major advantage of adding energy-efficient lighting to your home is that it offers a longer usable lifespan. Incandescent bulbs typically have a usable lifespan of 1,000 hours. Energy-efficient CFL lighting can last up to 10,000 hours, while LED lighting can last anywhere between 25,000 and 50,000 hours. These energy-efficient options can last for literally years before ever needing to be replaced.
Color Temperature Range Options
Another huge advantage of new options like CFLs and LEDs is that they can offer a wide spectrum of different color temperature options. Some of the most common include daylight, neutral, and warm light temperatures. These temperature options can help to mimic natural light or provide a brighter tone when you need task lighting. Even better, many LED options are dimmable, meaning you can alter how bright they are depending on your specific needs at the time.
Lower Heat Output
A big advantage of LEDs is that they produce much less heat than standard incandescent lighting. In fact, LEDs stay cool to the touch, making them a much safer option to work around. Even better, they don’t add heat to the room that your air conditioning system will have to combat, like with traditional incandescent lighting options.
Higher Home Value
Lighting can make or break a person’s opinion of your home. When you opt for adding energy-efficient lighting, like LED, which offers a slew of other benefits, including multiple color temperatures and dimmability, homebuyers perceive your home as being more modern. They’ll be willing to pay more to buy it than if you have outdated lighting.
Smart Technology Integration
One feature of energy-efficient lighting that most people love is smart technology integration. There are a variety of LED lighting options that allow for integration with your smart home system. This can enable you to effortlessly control the use of your lighting via your smartphone app or even through voice command. This cannot only enhance your comfort but also work to reduce your energy bills.
Less Maintenance
One of the most annoying parts of using outdated lighting in your home is that it requires frequent maintenance. Every few months, incandescent bulbs can blow out and will need replacing. With LED lighting, it will be 10 to 25 years before you ever have to think about a replacement. Maintenance with LEDs is virtually non-existent when compared to traditional incandescent lighting.
Healthier Living
One lesser-known advantage of using LED lighting in your home is that it closely mimics natural daylight when on the appropriate setting. Natural daylight is known to enhance focus, reduce eye strain, and even support better sleep cycles. This leads to improved living conditions and an overall better quality of life than with outdated incandescent lighting.
A Higher Price That Pays Off
When you compare the cost of LED lights to that of incandescent bulbs, the difference is clear. LEDs tend to cost about two to five times more than incandescent bulbs, with more stylish options and those with smart technology integration being on the more expensive end. While LEDs do have a higher up-front cost, homeowners can quickly recoup the difference in terms of energy savings and a much longer lifespan.
For example, let’s say that you have a 60-watt incandescent bulb that costs around $6.60 to run throughout the average year. Now, let’s replace that 60-watt bulb with an 8 to 12-watt LED light that offers an equivalent amount of light. That LED bulb will cost about $1.30 to run throughout the year. That’s a total savings of $5.30 per bulb, which well covers the higher up-front cost of purchasing the LED.
Making the Switch
After reading about all the great benefits of LED lighting, there’s no doubt that making the switch is a must to reduce your energy bills. One of the best places to start making the transition in your home is with your outdated incandescent light bulbs. Consider replacing each 60-watt bulb with a 10-watt LED bulb. If you’re trying to do this on a budget, aim to switch out bulbs in the most widely used rooms in your home, like your kitchen, living room, and bedrooms.
When selecting lighting options, try to get those with integrated dimming capabilities. This will not only create a more comfortable atmosphere that fits your unique needs at different times throughout the day, but it will also help further minimize your energy usage by restricting the brightness of the light.
If you really want to take it a step further, consider getting smart LED bulbs. These wirelessly integrate with your smartphone through an app. You can easily take advantage of setting a schedule for your lights to reduce your energy usage. For example, you can program your lights to shut off each day at the time you leave for work, or you can opt for dimming the lights when it gets into the later hours of the evening.
Another great tip for reducing your energy usage is to install motion sensor LED lights. These will only turn on when they sense movement, making them a great option for areas like your driveway or hallway that only need to be lit when they’re in use. When purchasing new fixtures for your home, opt for ENERGY STAR-certified ones. Even consider using solar-powered LED lighting for outdoor applications to reduce your reliance on electricity. Our electrical services team can help you understand the options and pick the best lights for your situation, budget needs, and home aesthetic.
Expert Lighting Upgrade Services
Anderson Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric offers expert lighting upgrade services for the Mentor, OH area. We can also assist with all your lighting installation, repair, and inspection needs.
Just call our staff today to book your next service appointment with one of our helpful electricians.
