by Jamie Abelson | April 28th, 2021

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Decreasing energy consumption by switching to LED lighting is the perfect antidote for anyone overwhelmed by the challenges of lowering energy consumption. The usual complicated considerations are not present.

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The technology exists, you can find LED bulbs online or at any local hardware store, you can install them yourself, the technology is affordable, and you will immediately see a reduction in your energy consumption amounts and electricity costs.

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In short, if you have not already switched all of the lightbulbs in and outside of your home to LED lightbulbs…just do it! Today!…or this weekend.  

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A Few Motivations

 

• LED lights use a different kind of technology than the incandescent bulbs most Americans are used to (L.E.D. stands for Light-emitting diode).

 

• LED lights are 85% more efficient than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 20x longer. 

 

• LEDs come in a wide range of pleasing color spectrums, are dimmable, and do not contain mercury (like CFL’s).

 

CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) are a different lighting technology from LEDs (they are the bulbs that usually look like honeycombs). While CFLs were an improvement on incandescent bulbs, they are not as efficient or long-lasting as LEDs and they contain mercury. So, there is no longer any reason to use CFLs instead of LEDs.

 

While LED lights cost significantly more than incandescent bulbs, they last so much longer and are so much more energy and cost efficient, that there is absolutely no financial savings argument for sticking with incandescent bulbs.

 

While information will differ slightly across sources, these differences are minor and should not deter anyone from making the switch immediately. This chart from the Green is Better website tells the story with resounding clarity.

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If you think that switching to LED lighting is so obvious of an upgrade that almost everyone must have already done it, think again.

 

Here a chart from the US Department of Energy showing US LED installation rates in 2018:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main fact to glean from this chart is that only 29.8% of indoor lighting has been switched to LED lighting. While outdoor lighting with LEDs is at a higher rate of 51.4%, outdoor lighting is significantly less of the total share. So…the total percentage of lighting in the US that has been switched to LEDs is a mere 30%.

 

The US Department of Energy estimates that this 30% switch to LEDs has led to “approximately 1,328 trillion British thermal units (tBtu) in source energy savings in 2018, which is equivalent to an annual cost savings of about $14.7 billion.”

 

The US Department of Energy predicts that “annual source energy savings could approach 3,953 tBtu, about 4 quadrillion Btu (quads), if top tier 2018 LED products instantaneously reach 100% penetration in all applications.”

 

This means that a 100% shift to LEDs would lead to roughly 3x the current reduction in energy consumption and 3x the cost savings. That would mean roughly $45 billion in cost savings to Americans electricity consumers.

 

If you are in a position to help the US grow from 30% to a 100%...while saving energy and money…please do this today!...or this weekend. And even better, next weekend, go help your parents or grandparents make the switch.

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A Few Helpful Thoughts

 

When I started shopping for LED light bulbs, I was a little confused by some of the terminology on the box. While I was looking for light bulbs that used less energy, I would see things like “60W replacement” and wonder how replacing a 60W bulb with a 60W bulb would save energy. 

 

This is because the world “replacement” on an LED package really means “appears equivalent to an incandescent bulb of this wattage” or “mimics an incandescent bulb of this wattage.”  The actual wattage on the LED bulb is much lower and is usually written in small print under the initial number.

 

For Example:

 

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This is an LED lightbulb, and while the box highlights “60W” the actual number to look at is the lower wattage below: “9W.”  This means that this LED light bulb can be used to replace your current 60W incandescent bulb but will only use 1/6th of the energy. That’s amazing!

 

Also, I personally don’t find the “Brightness (in lumens)” number very helpful in predicting the quality of the light. I find the “K” number more useful. K (or Kelvin) measures “light color temperatures.” LED bulbs range from 2300K to 6000K.  The different categories are often described as such: 2300K (Amber Glow), 2700K (Warm White), 3000K (Soft White Glow), 4000K (Daylight Glow), 5000K (Crystal White Glow), 6000K (Super Bright White).

 

I find that on balance, LED bulbs are a little brighter and harsher than incandescent bulbs, so I always look for bulbs with a lower K number. 

 

Everyone’s tastes are different, but for me (and my very particular spouse…), here is what I ended up purchasing:

 

• I replaced all of my recessed lighting with LED bulbs that use about 10.5 Watts and have a K temperature of 2700 Kelvin.

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• I replaced all the basic light bulbs in my house with LED bulbs that use about 9 or 13 Watts and have a K temperature of 2700 or 3000 Kelvin.

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• I replaced all of the exposed or decorative light bulbs in my house with LED candelabra type bulbs (make sure you know what base size you are looking for) that use about 3 Watts and have a K temperature of 2700 Kelvin.

 

Switching to LED was the first major change that I made in my new home, and although I’m sure there are other factor involved, my electricity bill showed major changes in energy use and cost on the very next statement.

 

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