Ask a Designer, Sustainable Practice
To Buy or Not to Buy those LED Bulbs
Are you still hoarding a few old incandescent bulbs thinking it will save you money to just use what you've already purchased? It won't! But why? Let us lay it all out for you, and show you why it's time to bite the bullet and move to new solutions, like the LED.
July 14, 2015
You might have noticed that Seattle (indeed, the whole northwest) has been experiencing the hottest summer weather in years, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up any time soon. Most of us in the Emerald City don’t have air conditioners at home – it rarely gets hot enough to use them. We’re stuck inside with blowing fans desperately wishing for a reprieve.
But did you know that it could also be the light bulbs in your house that are contributing to the unbearable temperatures indoors? Yes, your appliances and TV and computer and - basically anything with a motor - gives off heat. Let’s talk about that ubiquitous incandescent light bulb for a minute. Chances are you still have some, even though the EPA has phased them out.
I get it. I had a stockpile of spares until recently and I don’t consider myself a wasteful person, so of course I’m going to use up what I have first, right? Isn’t that the responsible and environmental thing to do?
Nope. I recently gave a presentation on this topic at Board & Vellum, together with a certified lighting consultant and loads of backup data from all sorts of agencies. If you’re interested in saving money on your energy bill while also keeping your home cooler during these summer months, read on.
It starts with technology that is over 125 years old. A standard incandescent bulb is only 10% efficient. That means 90% of the electricity it uses makes heat, not light. Where does that heat go? Your house.
Let’s back up a minute. We’re accustomed to thinking about light in terms of watts; 60-watt bulbs for overhead lights, 40-watt bulbs for a table lamp, etc. A 60-watt light bulb (incandescent, mind you) provides such-and-such amount of light. That “such-and-such” is called “lumens”, and is what you need to start thinking about when it comes to brightness. The reason is because different technologies use more or less watts to produce the same amount of light. The chart below shows you the relationship between different kinds of light bulbs, their wattage, and their lumen output.
A typical 60-watt incandescent bulb produces around 800 lumens, as does a 13-watt compact fluorescent bulb, as does an 8-watt LED bulb. Think about that for a minute. The lumens are the same for all three, but the LED bulb is 7.5 times more efficient (uses less electricity) than that hot incandescent! Why aren’t people running to the store RIGHT NOW and buying them up? Don’t you want to save money on your electric bill? Or do you not think one bulb makes a big difference?
The cost of an LED bulb is one reason people aren’t overly thrilled about replacing all of their old light bulbs. It’s an average of about $10 per bulb versus 50 cents for a comparable incandescent. Is it worth it to spend that much more? YES! Based on using your bulb 3 hours per day until it dies, your incandescent bulb will last about 1.4 years. Great, right? NO WAY! Based on the same usage, an LED bulb (and remember, it gives off the same number of lumens as an incandescent) will last an average of 20 years. That’s over FOURTEEN TIMES longer! If you do the math you will make up the cost of buying that LED bulb in under two years, just from what money you’re saving on your electric bill. Bottom line: if you can afford the upfront cost and plan on living in your house for at least two years longer – buy those LED bulbs. They’ll make a difference in your wallet, and help to keep your house cooler.
Alright, enough of the cold, hard facts. What about those light fixtures where you can see the bulb? “I don’t want one of those screwy CFL bulbs or a wacky shaped LED bulb sticking out of my beautiful vintage light fixture. What are my options?” you ask.
Believe it or not, they also have started to make “filament LED” bulbs, which have clear glass and look a lot like those original incandescent bulbs. And they still give you the same energy savings! This topic will be covered in a future blog post, don’t worry. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting!
