Make the switch to LED and $ave

The State of Origin isn’t the only event happening today, it is also the winter solstice - the shortest day of the year. This means we are all turning our lights on for longer and if you are still using halogens or fluorescents it could mean a noticeable hike in your power bill.

Lighting accounts for up to 15% of the electricity we use at home, so the type of bulb you choose is important. Below we look at the differences between LED, halogen and fluorescent lights and how making the switch to LED will save you money in the long run.

Halogen

A halogen light creates light by running electricity through a filament. They have low production costs and are therefore cheap to purchase. However, because a halogen bulb emits light by burning white hot, only 10% of the electricity used goes towards creating light, the other 90% is turned into heat. This means they are have low efficiency, air conditioners have to work harder in the summer to compensate and they also pose a fire risk. Halogen bulbs only last for around 1000 hours which means you’re paying a lot more for halogen lights in the long run. Fluorescent

Next, we have fluorescent lights which use an electric current to stimulate the mercury vapor inside the lamp to produce UV (ultraviolet) light and then cause the phosphor material coating on the inside of the lamp to glow.

Fluorescent lights are cheap like halogens but are much more efficient at creating light, they last around 9000 hours and don’t give off heat.

However, fluorescent lights do come with issues. Significant temperature drops or rises will affect their efficiency and the quality of the light they emit and they contain mercury, a dangerous heavy metal. LED

LEDs (short for light-emitting diode) produce light by passing an electric current through a semi-conductor. LED lights are the most efficient lighting choice, they need a lot less heat to generate light which means they use only a third of the energy of fluorescent lights and potentially reduce your lights’ energy consumption by up to 80%. LEDs last up to eight times longer than fluorescents (approximately 80 000 hours) and are not affected by the temperature of the room. While LED lights are generally more expensive to purchase than other bulbs, advances in manufacturing technology and increases in demand mean they are getting cheaper all the time and because they are more efficient and last much longer, you will be saving money in the long run.

If you would like to upgrade your lighting to increase your energy efficiency or need help redesigning your lighting scheme, give us a call today – 0448 219 007.