LED’s Poised to Take Over CFL’s

According to experts in the LED industry, the LED lighting market is strong and constantly changing as the technology evolves. Only one year ago some bulbs would have cost almost double what they are priced today. Since LED technology is advancing so rapidly, newer LED bulbs are coming out brighter and cheaper than they were before. LED lighting has continued to gain market share in 2011 as governments around the world have adopted policies in favor of LED lighting because of growing environmental concerns. LED light bulbs for the home are one of the easiest ways to save up to 90% on your home lighting bills if you are switching from incandescent bulbs.

Who isn’t looking to save money on your home lighting bill? There are so many benefits to LED Lights ranging from environmental benefits to wallet saving benefits.

I checked out some easy-to-replace LED globe light bulbs at superbrightleds.com and found that standard bulbs for an E27 socket run on 9 watts of energy. When you compare that to a 60 watt equivalent incandescent bulb, you are looking at some serious savings in your utility bill. I wanted to try one of these bulbs out, so when my bulb was delivered, I couldn’t wait to see how the lighting would look. I was replacing a 15 watt CFL bulb in my kitchen, and when I popped the new one in, I was pleased that the LED bulb was brighter than what I thought it would be. I chose the cool-white light bulb because I think it makes my studio look more modern, but they offer a warm-light option as well.

Your standard LED globe light bulbs twist into any normal light bulb socket that you currently have in your home. The size of the bulb is a bit smaller than a normal incandescent bulb and they are sort of built to look like one on the upper portion as seen in the picture above. I think the reason they call it a globe bulb is because the light emitting from individual diodes are too intense on their own. In order to spread the light around, a globe-like glass diffuses the light emitting diodes. Well, that’s what I think anyways, I am not exactly sure on that one…

The Pro’s…

Longer Lifetime

This particular LED globe light bulb from superbrightled.com (for indoor use only) is rated to last 40,000 hours of operation! Compare that to the average lifetime of a compact fluorescent bulb of 8,000 hours at best or an incandescent bulb of 1,200 hours at best. LED bulbs do not die out early in high usage areas such as a bathroom or kitchen, which means they are built to last. Depending on where you put these eco bulbs, such as in a low usage area like a closet, you may never replace that bulb ever again for the rest of your life. That means that you’ll be able to enjoy the savings these bulbs produce since your utility company will charge you less money for energy sipping LED light bulbs for the home.

LED Bulbs are Mercury Free

LED light bulbs by their very nature do not have any amount of toxic mercury in them. Even though the amount of mercury in CFL bulbs are very minimal, they still have to be properly recycled so that our landfills are not further contaminated by mercury leeching. Also, even though it has never happened to me or anyone else I know, I would not want to break a CFL bulb inside of my home. Obviously if it happens, it’s not the end of the world, and you don’t need to call a Hazmat team or anything, but special precautions are required if a CFL bulb does break in your home. With LED bulbs, you don’t have to worry about any of that because they don’t contain any hazardous material.

The Con’s…

The Upfront Costs

Unfortunately, the upfront cost of LED lighting is still pretty high compared to the standard bulbs on the market today. The good thing about LED bulbs, is that they have enough pro’s to outweigh the con’s. The 9 watt LED bulb I mentioned earlier runs for about $25 a bulb or about $2.78 per watt. If you shop around, you’ll find that price to competitive because some bulbs can run up to $45 a bulb for the same output of light. Don’t forget that you’ll likely have to spend a bit extra on shipping costs as well, so if you do decide to buy LED bulbs, try to order a few at a time to save on bulk shipping prices if they are offered. Luckily if you calculate out the cost savings in your utility bill every month, making an upfront investment in energy efficient LED light bulbs will eventually lead to a break even point. After you hit your break even point, you will smile for continuing to reap the benefits of a reduced lighting bill and the environment will thank you for due diligence in saving the planet. Use this free Energy Saving Calculator to estimate your break even point, and your total savings from then on out for the life of your bulb.

Are LED Light Bulbs For You?

The ideal buyer for LED lighting is someone who is an environmentally conscious individual who’d like to make as small an impact to the environment as possible through energy efficiency. An ideal buyer is also someone who is looking at the bottom line in terms of real cost savings and is not afraid to pay an upfront cost for long term savings. Are you off the grid? Do you work in one of those fancy Net Zero Living Buildings? Chances are that you have a strict energy budget and you require the best bang for your energy buck. The average home owner or renter also can benefit from the savings. Be sure to use that calculator link above to figure out how much you’ll save.

Let’s face it, not everyone can afford to pay $25 a bulb to replace all their bulbs in their home in the name of being green. If you can’t afford LED bulbs but you love the idea of their energy savings, check local non-profits or even your local utility company to see if they offer any incentives for you to become more energy efficient.

I’m Convinced Already! Where Can I Order?

If I’ve got you all excited about LED light bulbs and you want to know where you can get the best deal on them, I recommend checking out superbrightleds.com. It turns out that they offer more than just a variety of LED bulbs, they offer the mother load of various shapes, sizes, and uses including outdoor, indoor, for your vehicle, for your home, etc. They even offer LED light strips for commercial use if you own a business or have that sort of need. I also found that they had a 4 foot long LED tube to replace those traditional fluorescent tubes, of which, I have one in my bathroom I’m thinking about changing out. Anywho, let us know what you think.

Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions…