Save Money and Be Green

We all want to save money, especially in this economy. Over the last few years we have all learned a few tricks to saving money, but have you ever considered switching your light bulbs? For years all light bulbs were incandescent, and you simply picked the wattage you needed based on how bright you wanted the light to be. In recent years technology has improved on this ubiquitous part of our lives. LEDs, which stands for Light Emitting Diodes, are not only a more energy efficient they also last years longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs.

When LEDs first hit the market a few years ago the price tag proved to be a huge barrier to widespread adoption with a single bulb costing over $100. Now you can pick up LED light bulbs for significantly less, with the average bulb costing about $10. When you factor in the average lifespan of an LED light bulb, which consumer reports find last between 20,000 and 50,000 hours, the investment is worth it. Traditional incandescents, on the other hand, only have about one fifth the lifespan of an LED bulb. LEDs also use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs, helping your reduce your power bill and shrinking your carbon footprint.

Here is a breakdown of how much an LED bulb vs and incandescent bulb would cost to purchase and operate over a 25,000 hour lifespan (about 23 years at 3 hours per day)