It’s Dark Outside, Invest in LED Home Lighting

LED light bulb photo

It’s that time of year again. If you don’t wake up bright and early, it’s dark before you know it. In my neck of the woods, sunset is around 5:15 pm. Not only is it a bummer for those trying to squeeze in an outside workout, it means that you’ll be lighting your home to compensate for the lack of sunshine outside. It’s the perfect time of year to introduce LED home lighting (light emitting diodes).

Noah Horowitz, Director at NRDC, wrote over at Huffington Post, that LED lighting could cut our nation’s electricity costs by $13 billion annually. This in turn would save on pollution because that’s how much energy is generated from 30 coal fired power plants annually. Individually, LED home lighting saves more than $125 over the 20 year lifetime of the bulb. With a house full of LEDs, that’s some big savings.

These bulbs have gone from costing $25 per bulb just a few years ago to just around $9 and they’re available at most hardware stores. And your local utility may even offer a rebate of up to $5 per bulb.

With every size, shape, and light quality now available, here are some tips for getting what you want.

According to the Huffington Post:

For example, if you want the light to have that yellowish incandescent bulb look, buy one that says “soft white” and has a color temperature of 2700K. If you prefer more of a cooler, bluish-white look, buy one marketed as “daylight,” which will have color temperature of 5000K or so. Given that preferences vary by consumers, be sure to save your receipt and only buy a few initially so you can test and see which type you like before switching your whole home to LEDs.

And when it comes to getting ready for the holiday season, choose LED string lights. Today they’re available in just about every size and color.

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Image: Stephen Ridgeway