New LED Light Bulbs
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Light emitting diode. That is what the “LED” on the newest energy saving light bulbs stands for. Although LEDs have been on the market for several years in at least the basic bulb style used in residential housing, there has been a big jump in availability of specialized sizing and options as well as price improvement.
The new LEDs deserve immediate attention for function, durability and energy savings which creates cost savings.
Light. Gone is the harsh blue-light that many early LEDs were associated with. Instead there is a range of light to pick from. For a soft warm light choose a LED label advertising “soft or warm” and if you want a bright clear light choose one labeled “daylight”. LEDs give an instant light without the need to “warm up” as most compact fluorescent lights (CFL) need to achieve their brightest light.
Cost. The price of replacing old incandescent or even CFLs has reached a “buy” point. Readily available in the retail market, LEDs have equalized in price from the $20 range to $3 to $5 for a regular bulb comparable to a 75W incandescent bulb and are available in a wide range of bulb styles.
Savings. The savings is dramatic when compared to a home that still uses incandescent. If comparing to CFLs the savings is still significant especially when factoring in the life of the bulb and quality of light.
40 bulbs in a home, averaging 2 hours per day of use:
Incandescent: $4.80 per bulb annually = $192, bulbs lasts 1000 hours
CFLs: $1.20 per bulb annually= $48, bulbs last 10,000 hours
LEDs: $1.00 per bulb annually = $40, bulbs lasts 25,000 hours