Pam deVries
FOR BRANT NEWS

Lighting continues to improve and LED lighting is one of the most dramatic changes we are seeing.

Over the last 100 years incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs have offered great performance, but the introduction of LED lighting in 1962 has given them a run for their money.

Originally designed for instrument panels, electronics and pen lights, the LED lighting of today offers a great way to save money while providing the necessary light for your home.

Electrical lighting eats up a huge portion of a household’s energy consumption. An LED bulb can produce the same amount of light with less electricity than an incandescent bulb. For example, an eight watt LED bulb can produce as much light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb because most of the incandescent wattage is converted into heat.

When LED lights first became popular there was concern about the light radius, but recent improvements – including grouping small bulbs together in a panel and encasing them with diffuser lenses and reflectors – have produced a wider reflective scope.

LED lighting is more expensive to produce, therefore the original purchase cost of bulbs in comparison to a standard bulb seems high. But when you look at all the pros of LED lighting, the cost is minimized in other ways.

LED bulbs will last up to ten times longer than standard incandescent or CFL bulbs and they remain cool unlike an incandescent bulb, which can be a huge savings especially during summer air conditioning season.

The LED bulb can last as long as 30,000 to 90,000 hours. That’s a significant increase over the incandescent bulb’s 1,000 to 2,000 hours and CFL’s 8,000 hours.

LED bulbs are durable as they are not encased in glass and they don’t have a fragile filament. They are chemical free so there is no worry if they break, unlike a CFL. In fact, it is very hard to break LED bulbs. LED bulbs are also 95 per cent recyclable.

LED bulbs are available in warm or cool light. Cool bulbs are best for task lighting like desks or kitchens and warm bulbs are best for seating areas and ambient lighting.

The bulbs are available for dimmer switches, as well. Ensure you have purchased one suitable for this purpose as not all bulbs are dimmable.

LED lighting is the wave of the future.

Pamela deVries, certified interior decorator
www.pameladevriesdesigns.com