Why Replace your Incandescent Bulbs & Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) with LEDs?
- Uses – LEDs are currently used for a wide variety of different applications, such as in residential lighting as well as architectural, automotive, electronic instrumentation, the entertainment and gaming industry, the military, and the traffic and transportation industry. Since LEDs are focused lights, they are great at performing some specific lighting tasks, such as desk lamps, reading lights, night lights, security signals, spotlights, accent lamps, and lighting for signs.
- Long-lasting – LED bulbs last up to 10 times as long as compact fluorescents, and far longer than typical incandescent bulbs.
- Durable – since LEDs do not have a filament, they are not damaged under circumstances when a regular incandescent bulb would be broken. Because they are solid, LED bulbs hold up well to jarring and bumping.
- Color – LED lighting are offered in a variety of base colors, such as red, blue, and amber. Traditional incandescent bulbs use filters to produce colors. LEDs can be mixed together to produce large numbers of color options.
- Cool – These bulbs do not cause heat build-up; LEDs produce 3.4 btu’s/hour, compared to 85 for incandescent bulbs. This also cuts down on air conditioning costs in the home.
- Mercury-free – No mercury is used in the manufacturing of LEDs.
- More efficient – LED light bulbs use only 2-10 watts of electricity (1/3rd to 1/30th of Incandescent or CFL) Small LED flashlight bulbs will extend battery life 10 to 15 times longer than with incandescent bulbs. Also, because these bulbs last for years, energy is saved in maintenance and replacement costs. For example, many cities in the US are replacing their incandescent traffic lights with LED arrays because the electricity costs can be reduced by 80% or more.
- Cost-effective – Although LEDs seem expensive, the cost is recouped over time and in battery savings. For the AC bulbs and large cluster arrays, the best value comes from commercial use where maintenance and replacement costs are expensive.
- Light for remote areas – Because of the low power requirement for LEDs, using solar panels becomes more practical and less expensive than running an electric line or using a generator for lighting.