LED vs. Regular Light Bulbs: What’s the Difference?
Saving energy is on everyone’s minds, especially when the latest energy bill arrives in the mailbox. One of the most cost-effective electrical tips happens to be converting to LED bulbs.
Yet, before installing them, people want to know, “What are LED bulbs and do LED bulbs save energy?” So, to simplify it, we created this guide to lead you through everything there is to know about LED lights and why you should install them in your home.
The Three Types of Light Bulbs
The three types of light bulbs include:
- Incandescent Bulbs - standard light bulbs commonly found in households.
- LED Bulbs - energy-efficient bulbs offering 75% more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
- Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs) - are an energy-efficient option 25% more efficient than incandescent bulbs.
What Are LED Bulbs?
LED stands for a light-emitting diode. These bulbs are a popular replacement for incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs for their energy-saving design. Most fit into current light fixtures, making them ideal and easy to switch out, especially when you consider other more costly and involved electrical system upgrades.
How Are LED Bulbs Different From Other Types?
To best know the difference between LED bulbs and their predecessors, let’s look at how each type of light bulb works.
The
incandescent light bulb creates incandescent light when the heat reaches the filament. First, an electrical current enters the base and heats the tungsten filament, causing it to get hot and glow like a fire.
The
fluorescent light bulb produces electrons that interact with interior gases to create ultraviolet radiation, which then interacts with the fluorescent coating on the bulb, resulting in light. As a result, these bulbs tend to take a few moments to get to full brightness.
The
LED light bulb creates light by passing electricity through the base into a light-producing microchip that illuminates the bulb. Any heat produced is captured in a heat sink, making these bulbs less hot to the touch. Its design also allows you to program different colour options, like in outdoor installations.
How do LED Bulbs Save Energy?
Without using energy first to heat a filament, LED bulbs create light immediately at a 180-degree angle for better energy efficiency. On average, LED light bulbs are 75% more efficient than their incandescent counterparts and 50% more efficient than fluorescent light bulbs.
Put another way, LED bulbs are the source of photons—the light particles responsible for illumination—and 95% of the consumed energy converts to light, with only 5% lost to heat. Other light sources have significantly more heat loss.
Why Are LED Bulbs the Most Cost-Effective?
The electricity dedicated to lighting accounts for roughly 15% of your total household usage. Switching to LED bulbs can save between $200 and $250 per year, so changing your bulbs is the quickest way to save money on your electricity bill.
Being cost-effective isn’t just about how much you are saving energy. Material replacement also accounts for cost. For example, while LED bulbs cost more at the cash register, they last up to 50,000 working hours, 50 times more than incandescent bulbs and 8 - 10 times longer than CFLs.
Ask the Pros For More Electrical Tips
Converting your home to LED light bulbs is just one cost savings measure; there are even more ways you can upgrade your electrical system to optimize electricity usage. For example, installing Smart technology to monitor and adjust your lights, entertainment, and even window treatments can reduce your energy bills further.
For expert electrical tips and top-quality service, enlist the experts at
Pro-tec Electrical Services Ltd. Their certified electricians provide valuable knowledge and experience to handle any upgrade, installation, or repair you need.
Take advantage of every energy-saving opportunity now! Book your electrical assessment
online or call
778-241-5102 today!
