10 Reasons You Should Upgrade to LED Lighting

American households spend approximately $121.61 every month on electricity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, some states can expect to climb even higher than that, with the average ranging between $136 and $172 a month depending on where you live. And if you aren’t using energy-efficient lighting, it’s likely that you may be paying even more than you need to spend. This is where light-emitting diodes can help.

Light-emitting diodes, commonly known as LED’s, are one of the most energy-efficient lighting technologies currently available to consumers. Aside from saving you money on your energy usage, there are a few compelling reasons why you should consider using this type of lighting throughout your home, whether LED bulbs or the ever-creative, aesthetic uses of LED strip lights.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common benefits you can expect from upgrading to LED lighting throughout your home.

1) Easy to Replace & Use in Many Products

LED lighting has a wide range of uses, from your basic household light fixture to large industrial buildings, even for infrastructure lighting. In fact, this technology is becoming increasingly more common in parking garages, parks, and streetlights across the country.

Around the home, you can use LED bulbs as an alternative to traditional incandescent bulbs without replacing any of the fixtures. One of the advantages of LED lighting is that you can find LED bulbs available in just about every comparable wattage that you would with CFL or incandescent, and they only use a fraction of the energy to illuminate the same space. While the wattage of a standard CFL or incandescent bulb is used to measure the energy consumption of the bulb, LED bulbs are measured by lumens, which is a more direct indication of the amount of light produced by the bulb.

LED bulbs can also be found in different color temperatures, which denote the light appearance, from warm white with its slightly yellow hue, to daylight which is brighter and great for task lighting. To figure out which type of LED light bulb will benefit the different areas of your home, read the label on the box to help narrow down the lighting quality that is best for the intended location. For more information on how to find the right LED lighting for your spaces, check out our LED buying guide.

2) Safer Light Source Than Other Bulbs

The overall safety of LED light fixtures is a sought-after benefit for many home lighting solutions. If you have toddlers, kids, or even a rambunctious pet or two, you probably spend more than a few minutes a day worrying about their safety. There are many ways to childproof your home, one of which is to replace traditional light bulbs with LED.

LED Bulbs Are Never Hot-to-the-Touch

Traditional incandescent bulbs generate heat and will get very hot, very quickly. This leaves those little hands and noses susceptible to being burned the moment they touch the light bulb. This may not be much of a concern for lights attached to ceiling fans, chandeliers, pendants, sconces, or other light fixtures out of reach, but think about all the other fixtures throughout your home.

From nightlights to table lamps, there are many ways that curious fingers and pet noses can get burned. LED lighting emits very little heat, so while you should still warn your children against touching them, they will not cause severe pain if an accident does happen.

You’re Less Likely to Break LED Light Fixtures

Other types of bulbs are also made of glass, making them vulnerable to breaking rather easily. The last thing you want is for glass to break around your children, especially when it’s hot. Breaking a CFL bulb inside your home can be worse. Because they contain a small amount of mercury, special care must be followed to clean up a broken CFL bulb to prevent unsafe exposure to occupants within the immediate area.

LED bulbs, on the other hand, are typically made of durable epoxy lenses, so it takes much more strength to break one. Even if you accidentally drop it on a hard surface, it’s unlikely to shatter all over the place. The advantage of the different variety of LED light fixtures is that they come in so many design styles rather than just relying on the bulbs, as well.

3) LEDs are the Eco-Friendly Option

There are a few other advantages to LED lights if you’re worried about your carbon footprint. LED lighting is a popular choice for environmentally conscious homeowners for a couple of important reasons.

Bulbs Use Less Energy (And Last Longer)

A significant benefit of LED lighting is that the bulbs are eco-friendly. They use a fraction of the energy that other light bulbs use. They also last significantly longer.

According to Energy.gov, residential LED bulbs use 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb, yet they last 25 times longer than traditional bulbs. Not only does this help you reduce your overall carbon footprint, but you end up spending less money on both electricity and replacement bulbs.

LEDs Are Easier to Recycle with No Toxic Chemicals

Unlike CFL bulbs, a major benefit of LED lighting is that it does not use any mercury or other potentially hazardous materials. This eliminates your risk of exposure and makes it easier for you to get rid of the bulb when you’re done with it. LED bulbs are also 100 percent recyclable, whereas incandescent bulbs aren’t, and CFL bulbs need to be taken to a special drop-off point to be recycled due to the use of mercury.

4) LED Bulbs Do Not Cause UV Emissions

Another great benefit of LED lighting is that it does not emit any ultraviolet (UV) light and very little infrared light. You can use LED for items that are sensitive to heat or UV rays, such as priceless art or your wine collection. This is precisely why this type of lighting is becoming commonplace inside art galleries, at archaeological dig sites across the globe, and even inside wine coolers and beverage fridges.

5) Flexible Design Possibilities

Light-emitting diodes can be combined into any shape, allowing you the flexibility to create the perfect illumination for rooms small and large. An advantage of LED lights is that they can be found in easy-to-use bulbs that can replace any lighting in your home, or LEDs may be already equipped within the light fixtures themselves, from chandeliers or pendant lighting, to desk lamps or floor lamps.

Additionally, it’s easy to dim diodes individually, allowing for total control over the amount of light, its hue, and where you distribute it. Airplanes and classrooms have been using the technology for years thanks to its design capabilities. Many LEDs can cycle through a full range of colored lighting, from reds to greens and blues, and everything in between. Some even provide a remote control for customization as they allow you to change the ambiance of any room or to highlight specific features, such as shelf lighting.

6) LEDs Can Operate in Extreme Temperatures

A popular feature of LED light fixtures is their tolerance for cold weather. These fixtures can withstand frigid outdoor temperatures, making them a great choice if you want to put out holiday decorations in a cold climate. We’ve also found that restaurants are starting to embrace the benefits of LED lighting’s durability, using them inside walk-in freezers that lack good lighting.

On the flip side, they are also an ideal choice in hot weather, as they are unlikely to overheat and burst. A major advantage of LED lights is that they do not add to the temperature of the area where they are used. The energy is directed to the light source, rather than generating any excess heat, and helps ensure the bulbs don’t burn out from overuse. They can be used to create focus lighting in hot warehouses or as decorative lights around temperature-sensitive artwork and computers. 

7) Light Fixtures Brighten Instantly

Among the benefits of LED lighting is the quick illumination time. Both incandescent and CFL light bulbs may take a few moments to reach their full brightness, but LED lights reach 100 percent brightness instantly. They are also great for rooms where the lights go on and off frequently.

The quick response doesn’t change over time, either. Switching other types of lightbulbs on and off, many times throughout a day, may greatly reduce its overall lifespan. The same frequent use with an LED bulb will have no negative effect to the overall performance or durability. An LED light fixture will light up to its full brightness and continue to last for many years, no matter how frequently it is turned on and off. 

8) Longer Lifespan Than Other Bulbs

The longer lifespan is another advantage of LED lights, particularly in specialty lamps. Once you start using an incandescent bulb, it has approximately 2,000 hours of use before it burns out. A CFL bulb maxes out at about 20,000 hours of use. An LED bulb can last approximately 50,000 hours, or more, before needing to be replaced. 

For the sake of perspective, let’s imagine that you never turn these bulbs off. The incandescent bulb will only last 83 days before it needs to be replaced. The CFL bulb will last just over two years with that same constant, daily use.

In contrast, an LED bulb will last at least somewhere around 2,083 days before you need to replace it. That’s over five years of nonstop use! Even if you use the light only twelve hours a day, a single LED bulb can last over eleven years. With regular, daily use, an LED bulb can last closer to seventeen years without needing replaced.

9) There’s No Need for A High-Voltage Power Source

LED lighting is popular for walkways and other outdoor areas because these fixtures don’t need a high-voltage power source. This is an essential benefit unique to LED lighting for any homeowner wanting to add lights outside.

Since LED lights only need a low amount of power, it's becoming easier and easier to find unexpected lighting solutions for everywhere around your home. Some are only battery-operated, with no outlet required. This invites the possibility of many different types of LED outdoor lighting fixtures, including:

• Undercabinet lighting for the kitchen, which is quick to set up.
• Indoor or outdoor wall sconces that are easy to install and maintain.
• Useful focus lighting anywhere with an LED light strip, desk lamp, or light puck.
• Outdoor LED fixtures, from post-caps to deck lights, that can charge via solar energy and remain bright throughout the night.
• String lights (such as for holiday decorations, or permanent, year-round yard lighting,) can be found as solar options, or in styles that allow you to plug it in to a standard extension cord or power outlet.

Now that you know the potential lifespan of this low-voltage technology, imagine how you currently use the lights in and around your home, and how long an LED bulb will last with that amount of use. 

10) Updating to LED Lighting Saves You Money

The above benefits of LED lighting all lead up to what might be the most important advantage of all — this type of lighting will save you a bunch of money!

It’s not uncommon for homeowners to experience “sticker-shock” by the higher upfront cost of the hearty little light emitting diode bulbs. This is understandable, but once you do the math and consider the amount of savings received over the years, it just makes sense. (Or should we say, cents.) 

Some numbers to consider on the advantages of LED lights:

•  An incandescent bulb that costs $1 will still equal out to more than $50 over the course of 20 years due to how often you’ll have to replace it.
• An LED bulb that costs $10 will still only be $10 after 20 years since it’s unlikely to need replacing.

And these numbers don’t even factor in the amount of money saved from using less energy. Once you consider the amount of money you save on your monthly energy bill after removing every single CFL and incandescent bulb over time, there’s simply no denying that LED bulbs are the smart choice for homeowners.

It’s easy to see that LED lighting benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. By switching all the CFL and incandescent bulbs in your home to LED, you are guaranteed to save on money and energy, while simultaneously reducing your carbon footprint.