Time to throw away the traditional incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs! It is the age of the light emitting diode, better known as LED light bulbs! LEDs are more accessible than ever and can be found everywhere from homes and appliances to cars, traffic lights and commercial buildings. Griff’s Electric, Inc. has been upgrading customer lighting to LEDs for several years now. Common areas customers look to install LED lights include parking lot signs and exit signs. The benefits of LEDs far outweigh traditional lighting and should be a priority for all engineering and building maintenance crews as well as residential home owners. The first benefit to the LED light bulb is ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Typical light bulbs waste about 80% of their energy in heat and only emit about 20% of their energy as light. LEDs on the other hand emit the majority of their energy as light with 10% of the energy wasted as heat. As a result LED bulbs are cooler to the touch. In addition, the high upfront costs are coming down and the bulb is much more accessible to the general public. Although, the cost of LED bulbs remains higher than traditional bulbs; spread over a bulb’s lifetime the cost is actually cheaper. LED bulbs have a longer lifespan of at least 100,000 hours of full brightness. That’s at least 2X longer than fluorescent lighting and 25X longer compared to incandescent lighting. There are also no fragile filaments in the LED bulbs, so they can easily withstand transit and storage better than their counterparts. LEDs energy efficiency + longer life span = cheaper than traditional lighting Let’s talk SAFETY about the LED bulb. I already mentioned there is no filament in the bulb. In addition, the LED bulb contains no mercury. The durability of their exterior is tough and rarely breakable. However, if you manage to send one crashing to the floor, there is a special coating that prevents the bulb from shattering into tiny shards of glass. COLOR ~ LED bulbs now come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and are even dimmable! When dimmed, the bulbs maintain their true hue and do not yellow. The colors are more vibrant and are maintained over time. They are instantly bright with the flick of a switch. No more waiting around for flickering bulbs to warm up and come on. It is amazing how the LED continues to be transformed and incorporated into all kinds of items we benefit from in our daily lives. For instance, the lighting on smart-phones, nightlights, bulbs in our cars, brighter lights in parking lots and even the lights in my refrigerator are LED! Due to their low energy use and versatility the LED light bulb will continue to infiltrate our factories, streets, shopping malls and homes for years to come. So, wait for your old bulbs to cool down and change them out with LED bulbs today for a safer, brighter and more energy efficient future! For more detailed information, please see the following articles: http://www.ecodirect.com/LED-Light-Bulbs-s/146.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/technology/personaltech/cheaper-led-bulbs-make-it-easier-to-switch-lights.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 https://www.simplelighting.co.uk/why-switch-to-led/
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