Power To Choose – LED Bulbs Lower Electric Bills

You may have noticed that incandescent bulbs have become more and more scarce in recent years. As of 2007, the federal government decided to limit the wattage of incandescent light bulbs in an effort to completely phase them out by 2018. Even if you already have cheap electricity rates, by switching over from these bulbs to more efficient LED bulbs, you could save a love of money on your Texas electricity bill. LEDs have come a long way since their introduction for home use. They come in different color temperatures to match the lighting of your home. Living rooms tend to use a warmer light and kitchens benefit more from a cooler light. But the true beauty of these bulbs is their energy savings. A 60-watt equivalent bulb will use about 12 watts, and the light is often a little brighter than their incandescent cousins. LEDs give you the power to choose a lighting solution to brighten your home. LED bulbs can save you $100-125 over the course of their life, and they last a long time. While a typical incandescent bulb lasts about 1200 hours, an LED bulb can last 100,000 or more hours. They remain cool to the touch, reducing the overall heat added to your room, which can save you some extra money on air conditioning. Goldman Sachs predicts that 6 out of 10 light sockets will host LED bulbs by 2025. This would be an immense benefit to the environment, reducing the drain of electricity by about 11% from it’s current level. Another environmental advantage LED bulbs have over the nearly as efficient CFL bulbs is that LEDs contain no mercury. If a CFL breaks, it can leak mercury into the environment, particularly in land fills. Cheap electricity is dependent on the demand for electricity. Reducing the demand will reduce the price, saving money in purchasing electricity, and LED bulbs will save energy in their use, further reducing the cost of electricity. LED bulbs have come way down in price over the years, with some 60 watt equivalent bulbs reaching the $5 mark as opposed to $20. In the near future, as production scales up, the cost per bulb will continue to drop, probably nearing the cost of CFLs, which is about $1-2 per bulb. Eventually, only LED and CFL bulbs will be sold and the old standard bulbs will be discontinued.