Days are getting shorter and more energy is used to light our homes and businesses. This means it could be a good time to switch to energy efficient light bulbs such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) or compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). However, it is good to have a plan of attack when upgrading to energy efficient light bulbs.
When upgrading to LEDs or CFLs from incadescent light bulbs, check around your home or business to see what lights are used most and replace those first. With the average U.S. home having 47 lightbulbs, it can get expensive to replace all incadescent lightbulbs over to energy efficient bulbs at once. A good plan of attack is to switch out incadescent light bulbs when they burn out with a more energy efficient LED or CFL. An exception to this rule is if there is a high-wattage incadescent light bulb in your home like 100 watt bulb or higher, replacing it to a energy efficient LED or CFL straight away can have a fast payback.
Just how much more energy efficient are LEDs and CFLs than traditional incadescent light bulbs? According to the Department of Energy, halogen incadescents, CFLs and LEDs use 25% – 80% less energy than incadescent light bulbs and last 3 – 25 times longer. This means switching out traditional incadescant light bulbs with LEDs or CFLs can offer siginificant savings in terms of money and energy.
If interested in ordering LED bulbs, take a look at 401(e)’s partner, G7 Power. When you order LED bulbs or fixtures through our partner, G7 Power, 401(e) will donate a portion of the sale to Red River Valley Community Action. Click here to order!
To learn more on LED bulbs, check out our Lighting the Way to Savings: LED blog.
