LED Light Bulbs

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor chip that emits light when conducting current. This type of light source has been adopted for a wide range of applications from status indicator lights to traffic signals. The question is why is there such a big push for people to replace their old light bulbs with these funny looking, more expensive LED bulbs? Well keep reading and you will see there are actually benefits to using LED lighting and in the end it turns out to be more cost effective and can even help you save money.

Energy Star LED Lighting
LED light bulbs have actually been around for years, but it has only been recently that their quality has been improved enough for them to be used as a primary light source. Like with many products we use, not all are created equal which is why it is recommended to choose LED lighting that meets the Energy Star requirements. You know when your buying an Energy Star product it has been tested and meets strict efficiency and performance criteria. Here is a list of the requirements an Energy Star Rated LED lighting source must meet before it receives the rating.

Brightness is equal to or greater than existing lighting technologies (incandescent or fluorescent) and light is well distributed over the area lighted by the fixture.

Light output remains constant over time, only decreasing towards the end of the rated lifetime (at least 25,000 hours or 22 years based on use of 3 hours per day).

Excellent color quality. The shade of white light appears clear and consistent over time.

Efficiency is as good as or better than fluorescent lighting.

Light comes on instantly when turned on.

No flicker when dimmed.

No off-state power draw. The fixture does not use power when it is turned off, with the exception of external controls, whose power should not exceed 0.5 watts

Energy Star qualified LED lighting uses at least 75% less energy than incandescent lighting which means you can expect to reduce your energy bill just by changing out your light bulbs. All Energy Star LED lighting comes with a minimum three year warranty which exceeds the industry standards. LED bulbs are not nearly as fragile and they won't break like a typical bulb.

Cost Benefit
LED light bulbs use less energy and don't put off nearly as much heat as an incandescent bulb. For example, typically LED Bulb uses only 10 watts of electricity but perform just like a 100 watt bulb. Incandescent bulbs often waste 98% of their energy because they produce too much heat. LED bulbs don't waste energy by producing excess heat, instead they produce much less heat and this even assists in cooling costs.

One draw back for people is that LED bulbs cost more than what most are use to paying for light bulbs. They usually cost anywhere between $6 to $10 per bulb depending on the brand. It is better to buy more than one bulb at a time because there is a price break. Even though the initial cost might be a bit higher, LED bulbs have a much greater life span and as mentioned they use much less energy which will help you save in the long run. There is a wide variety of LED bulbs that can be found on Amazon and some of the top rated bulbs are listed below.

GLB - 5 Watt 60 LED Light Bulb, Warm White
Westinghouse 03466 Nanolux 3-Watt G19 LED Bulb, White
Vision X HIL-1157R Red LED Replacement Bulb