Change to LED Lighting

Summary: LED lighting + tips

Description

Did you know that lighting accounts for about ten percent of the electricity use in the average U.S. home? All the more reason to switch to LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).

LEDs are inexpensive, last a lot longer, and give excellent light. They come in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and sizes for many applications, including both indoor and outdoor lighting, and are often compatible with dimmers, motion detectors, and daylight sensors.

LEDS can save a lot on your electric bill. They use up to 90% less energy than the old incandescent bulbs which waste a full 90% of their energy on heat, which is why they get so hot. If you replace these old bulbs with LEDs, you can save $100 over the life of the bulb! LEDs also use less enegy than Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. 

And what about the planetary budget? If every household replaced just one light bulb with an LED we would save enough energy to light two million homes for a whole year and we would also prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of taking 550,000 vehicles off the road.

Still, they are only used in less than 10% of fixtures! Can we reach 50% use of these great bulbs in our community this year alone? Let’s find out!

Deep Dive

Steps to Take

1. First things first, not all LEDs are the same. Light bulbs that have earned the ENERGY STAR have undergone extensive testing to ensure they will save energy and perform as promised. Lower-quality LED bulbs might flicker, fade, or shift in color over time. They also often have a much shorter lifetime compared to ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs, which have a lifetime of at least 15,000 hours. 
2. If you can’t change all of them at once and need to prioritize. Go through your house and make a list of only the bulbs that are on over 1 hour a day (typically less than half the bulbs) and have not yet been replaced by LEDs.
3. Make a note of each of these, what type they are: 40 or 60 watt? Recessed ceiling reflector bulbs? 3-way bulbs?
4. Go here for stores that participate in the MassSave program. MassSave buys down the cost of many light bulbs at these Massachusetts hardware stores, so you get instant price discounts. Or you can buy online at the MassSave store.
5. AND/OR, sign up for a free Mass Save energy audit - check that out here , and in the process LED bulbs are installed for free!
6. Let us know how it went by leaving a testimonial under the Testimonial Tab above.