Introduction to LED Replacement Light Bulbs by Switch2leds

If you are an energy conscious home or business owner who is new to LED lighting, then this article should hopefully explain how you can save a significant amount off your electricity bill each month.

Introduction

There is a revolution going on in the lighting industry at the moment. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are now powerful enough to be a viable energy saving alternative to all light bulbs used in our homes or businesses. Over the next few years LEDs will become the standard for lighting our homes, shops, offices, factories, gardens and streets.

The reason LEDs are destined to replace all our light bulbs are for a number of reasons but the main reason is that they are extremely energy efficient, producing the same light output, but using 80-90% less energy than a traditional bulb and even 50% less energy than those horrible compact fluorescents which are filled with hazardous mercury vapour and take an age to come on.

An LED Replacement Light Bulb Energy Saving Fact

To light a 50 watt halogen spotlight that many of us have recessed in our kitchen or bathroom ceilings costs about £1.50 in energy per month (if used for 6 hours a day). So if you have say 20 of them, that's a whopping £30 a month it would cost in energy.

However, an equivalent LED replacement light bulb would cost just 21p each month to run, that's just £4.20p a month if all 20 halogens were replaced with LED replacement bulbs, saving you nearly £26 every month. Just think of the savings if you swapped all your light bulbs for LEDs?

Other LED Replacement Light Bulb Facts

• LED replacement light bulbs are a direct replacement, no re-wiring or transformers or special fittings, it really is as simple as changing a light bulb.
• The initial purchase cost of an LED replacement light bulb is usually paid back due to the savings on your electricity bill within 9-24months.
• LED replacement light bulbs last for 25,000 to 50,000+ hours, depending on what bulb type it is, that's 15-30 years of normal use.
• LED replacement light bulbs are at full brightness straight away and do not flicker.
• Most branded LED replacement light bulbs are now dimmable and usually work with your current dimmer.
• LED replacement light bulbs contain no mercury vapour or other toxic substances.
• LED replacement light bulbs produce no UV light, so they won't fade delicate colours and are also invisible to flying insects such as moths, making them especially great for outdoor use.
• LED replacement light bulbs are available in different shades of white light, called colour temperatures (hence their kelvin ratings);
  • Warm white (2700k) is a match for traditional light bulbs and should be used in the majority of lighting in homes, especially if you want a warm & cosy feel, it's better to stick with what you know.
  • Although still officially classed as warm white, neutral whites (3000k-4000k) are a great colour for contemporary bathrooms and kitchens and are more of a "crisper" brighter type of light, it looks especially great with reflective surfaces such as granite and marble.
  • Cool whites (above 4000k) are popular with shops and displays, to show products at their best, but as it's close to daylight it may be too "white" for most people's tastes in a home, unless used as feature lighting.

The following table is an illustration of how an LED replacement light bulb performs against a traditional incandescent light bulb. From this table you should be able to tell whether the equivalent LED bulb you're thinking of buying, is really a true equivalent or whether somebody is just saying it is.

Avoid the pitfalls

If you are serious about buying LED replacement light bulbs, then it should be viewed as another way of reducing your energy costs, in the same way as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and solar panels are viewed.

LED replacement light bulbs are an investment, aimed at saving you money in the long run, you should therefore ask yourself why buy those cheaper Chinese imports who's manufacturers spout dubious claims, when branded products from recognised names such as Philips, Toshiba, Osram, Megaman and Aurora are available for not much more and come with a 3-5 year guarantee. There's no substitute for quality and there's an old saying; "buy cheap, buy twice".

One other thing, don't let people's past experiences with LED replacement light bulbs put you off trying the current generation of branded products, in our opinion Philips in particular are powering ahead, they have invested millions in developing their current range of LED replacement light bulbs and in every way except one (the initial purchase price), LED replacement light bulbs out-perform the products they are designed to replace.

So what's stopping you, why not join the LED Revolution and Switch2LEDs, the sooner you do, the sooner you stop giving away your hard earned cash to those greedy energy companies.

By Switch2LEDs.co.uk