The results are in. The Environmental Department has
concluded a three-part study on which kind of light bulb is best for the environment.
And without a doubt, one kind of light bulb was the overall winner in the push
for going green.
LEDs were found to be the most impressive and smartest
option when it comes to considering the environment. The Environmental
Department considered a wide variety of factors, then assessed how much each
light bulb affected the air, water, soil, and resources of our planet. They did
this with lighting options such as CFLs, incandescent bulbs, and LEDs.
It should be no surprise that smart bulbs consume less
energy, last longer, and utilize safer materials than any other bulb. But let’s
look at why LEDs excel in every aspect of lighting.
Low Energy Consumption
Smart bulbs completely out-rank every other bulbs in this
category because traditional incandescent bulbs use up a large amount of
energy, losing most of it by producing heat. In fact, 90% of the energy
required for incandescent bulbs is lost through heat, which means only 10% is
used for actual production of light. And because Compact Fluorescent Lamps
(CFLs) lose a lot less heat, they use about 75% less energy than incandescent
bulbs to create the same amount of light. Instead of using electricity to heat
a filament to produce light like in an incandescent, CFLs sent a bold of energy
to create the light. LEDs on the other hand use 80% less energy than
incandescent, and 5% less than CFLs. This is attributed to the fact that there
aren’t any moving parts in an LED to create light.
Energy saving products such as LEDs help save serious cash
on your monthly electric bill, and they also contribute to cutting back on
global energy production, making our carbon footprint a little smaller. Expert
predict that by switching over completely to LEDs by 2032 could save the United
States over $250 billion in energy costs alone.
Longevity of Life
The benefits of a long light bulb span are very understated.
The longer a bulb lasts, the less amount of bulbs we have to produce as a
society, and also the less amount of landfill use, production costs, and less
transportation need which means more clean air.
The lifespan of traditional incandescent and CFLs don’t come
close to measuring up to LEDs. Assuming that each of these types of lights are
used 6 hours each day, incandescent bulbs will last around one-third of a year,
CFLs would last about 4 ½ years, and smart bulbs? A whopping 11 ½ years!
Safe Materials Used For Our Benefit
Unlike CFLs, which use harmful materials, LEDs stray away
from those especially hurting our environment. Fluorescent lights use mercury
to interact with electricity to create light, and mercury has some pretty disastrous
effects on health. That’s why there is a health concern when a CFL bulb is
broken, and also the reasoning behind special disposal procedures. Although it
is still important to be mindful of a broken LED, there is no worry of
breathing in mercury during clean-up.
Thinking about switching out your light bulbs soon? Go with
LEDs to reap environmental and personal benefits.
Find more on City Lighting Products' social channels!
(Source: Flux Smart)
