LED lighting is everywhere, from inside warehouses and offices to homes and outdoor lighting. Versatile, advantageous (more on that soon) and energy-efficient, the move to LED lights allows for immediate benefits that other types of bulbs simply cannot offer.
LEDs are the clear winner for outdoor lighting solutions. If you’re on the fence about updating your outdoor lighting to LED, here are five advantages to using this lighting over alternatives.
5 Advantages of LED Lighting
1. High Efficiency
LED is an energy efficient option thanks to the highly efficient lighting technology used in every bulb. If you have a bulb that is ENERGY STAR rated, you’ll find that the bulb uses 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts.
Some manufacturers claim that their bulbs are as much as 85% more efficient.
2. Enhanced Lighting Effect
LED bulbs offer better overall lighting effects, with the ability to emit lighting in a specific direction. Compared to traditional bulbs, the LEDs emit light at a 180° radius rather than a 360° radius.
When you use other bulbs, reflectors are required to focus the light, causing a general loss in efficiency.
You can control light spread more with an LED, which is a great addition to outdoor lighting. Focus the light on a specific location of the yard or building to create a nicer, controlled lighting.
3. Longer Bulb Life
Bulb life is very important. No one wants to change bulbs often, and in an outdoor setting, the process can be a pain. LEDs use a more efficient technology that not only lowers energy usage but also increases the general lifespan of the bulbs or fixtures.
You can purchase LEDs that last up to 50,000 hours – that’s a long time!
Comparing these bulbs to others, LEDs last:
- 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs
- 20+ times longer than halogen bulbs
- 8+ times longer than CFL bulbs
If you use LED bulbs that are rated for 50,000 hours of usage for eight hours a day, you won’t have to change your bulbs for 17 years.
4. Energy Cost Saving
When it comes down to dollars and cents, LEDs require significantly less money to operate than the competition. A 12W LED will have an annual energy cost of $1, while a 60W traditional incandescent bulb has a cost of $4.80 to operate annually.
These figures are based on the bulb being operated for two hours per day at $0.11 per kilowatt-hour.
And with the cost of LED light bulbs coming down in recent years, they’re an affordable option when trying to replace existing bulbs.
5. Optimized Outdoor Lighting
When you install outdoor lighting, it will often run on a lower voltage of just 12V, being lowered for added safety to the home or building owner. The lower voltage is created by using a transformer that drops a traditional 120V/240V down to just 12V.
LED lighting operates on low voltage, allowing for strong, directional lighting that isn’t impacted by the lower voltage solution.
When looking for efficient, long-lasting lighting solutions, LED bulbs are clearly the best option. LED bulbs and fixtures emit far less heat, offer efficient directional lighting control, need to be replaced less frequently, and cost less to operate, making them perfect for outdoor applications.
