Switching to LED lights is always a good idea when you realise the extent of savings you can make and the environmental impact of making the switch brings. We are all aware that LED lights are more energy efficient but just how much can switching to LED light fittings save you?
The up front investment of LED light bulbs is significantly higher than a regular light bulb with prices ranging from $9 – $25 per bulb. However, the potential savings could be as much as 20% on your monthly electrical bills. When looking at ways to lower your household utility bills LED light bulbs are one of the easier quick fixes that will immediately impact your monthly outgoings for the better.
Whilst LED lights can save you money it is worth taking a cost benefit analytical approach to making the switch before you change every bulb in house.
It is important to consider;
- Are you planning on moving in the short term
- Identifying what (if any) rooms are rarely used and which rooms are used all the time
- For each light you are considering changing how long are these lights run per day
These questions will help you identify if changing all the bulbs in your home is worth the initial cost investment. It might be that you should just make the switch in some key rooms like the kitchen, living room etc. and not the spare bedroom that’s never used.
Light comparisons
To fully understand the actual savings you can make by making the switch to LED lights, let’s take a look at the energy used for different lights in comparison to LED lights:
- Incandescent bulbs – 60 watts, LED bulb – 9 watts. Saving you 85%
- Halogen bulbs – 35 watts, LED bulb – 8 watts. Saving you 78%
- Fluorescent tube lamp – 38 watts, LED tube – 20 watt lamp. Saving you 48%
- Par 38 Floodlight – 125 watts, Par 38 Floodlight LED – 13 watts. Saving you 89%
- Halogen striplight – 500 watts, LED floodlight fitting – 80 watt. Saving you 84%
How much will LED lights save me?
The problem with incandescent bulbs is not necessarily the bulb itself but the electricity required to power them. If you run an incandescent bulb for 5 hours a day over two years it will cost you approximately $32 in electricity per bulb (will fluctuate depending on your energy rates).
In contrast to that, the cost of running a single LED bulb for 5 hours a day over two years will cost you just $12, and that $12 is inclusive of the $9 cost of the bulb.
Coming back to the rationale of analysing your usage before you purchase LED lights, if you use a single traditional bulb for only 30 minutes a day in a room you do not use regularly the cost of that is approximately $3.50 over two years (depending on energy rates). The cost of using a single LED bulb in the same room over the same period will cost you approximately $0.50 but that does not include the initial investment of the bulb. In this case it may not be worth your while fitting LED lights to every room in your house.
Make the switch
As with all investments, a bigger picture approach is required; if money is the motivating factor then, over the long term, LED bulbs will save you money in your utility bills. In addition to saving money, your contribution to making a positive impact on the environment might be enough to make you make a complete switch to LED as it really is the smarter option for you and our planet.
