Best Money Saving Articles Online

The Future Generation Of Energy Efficient Bulbs

Dec 20, 2009 Save Energy

Regular light bulbs (also known as incandescent lamps) convert rather less than twenty percent of the electricity they consume into actual light. This is because they quite literally burn a thin metal filament and as with all burning, most of the electricity is lost as heat. To suggest they’re not therefore particularly good at doing the one thing they’re supposed to do (i.e. turn electricity into light) is understating things somewhat.

As a small heater the average traditional light bulb is not bad, but unfortunately this heat is typically wasted someplace useless like the ceiling and if you’re actually trying to keep the temperature down then all they do is make your air conditioning work harder. Whichever way you cut it, you are paying good money for heat you almost certainly don’t want and getting a poor deal on light.

Energy saving or “low energy” light bulbs that are significantly more efficient have been available for quite a few years now. These usually take the form of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and are currently the most commonly available type of energy saving bulb for the domestic market. CFLs have not really caught on though, most probably because they’re oversized, take a considerable period of time to reach maximum brightness and are expensive by comparison with incandescent bulbs. Despite some improvements to make CFLs more discrete, attain maximum brightness in less time, and reduce the price but there is no hiding the fact that they have a poor image, which is not helped by the fact that they also contain toxic mercury vapour and are thus not easy to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way.

The new breed of energy saving light bulbs are based on light emitting diodes (LED). These are orders of magnitude more energy saving than present CFLs but until very recently have not been quite bright enough for general domestic lighting.

However LED bulbs recently appearing in the market are indeed viable as genuine alternatives, and in particular those designed as substitutes for GU10 and MR16 halogen lamps. But anyone contemplating trying this road should also know that many white LED bulbs, and in particular ones described as “cool” as distinct from “warm” white) may appear slightly blue which some folk find quite attractive but which generally do tend to stick out rather if blended with other kinds of lighting.

The main benefit of LED light bulbs is that they turn most of their input electricity into light and lose practically none as heat which in a nutshell means that they need a whole lot less energy to run them. About ten times less in fact, which is a huge cost saving since the cost of electric lighting is almost entirely down to the running cost. The cost of the light bulbs themselves is insignificant by comparison.

It’s also a fact that LED lights last twenty or more times longer and thus require replacing far less frequently. The benefits should be fairly plain then; LED lights not only save you financially, they also help the environment. The manufacturing process is more straightforward than for CFL bulbs and there are no awkward disposal headaches.

But the primary environmental impact is down to the fact that because they use much less electricity then less electricity has to be produced which in turn means less CO2 emissions.

If you would like to discover more then try this article about GU10 LED.

Tags: 12v lighting, cfl, energy saving, Energy Saving Light Bulbs, fluorescent, green issues, halogen, halogen replacements, home, Led, Led Lighting, lighting, low energy light, save energy, Save Money

Options For Low Energy Lighting

Nov 4, 2009 Save Energy

There can be few people left who remain unaware that conventional incandescent light bulbs are in the process of being totally eradicated. The driving force behind this is a worldwide agreement that targets reducing the amount of energy we all use and cutting down on heat and CO2 emissions. The net result is that we all need to get up to speed with a brave new world of low energy lighting.

The two main low energy lighting technologies are LED (Light Emitting Diode) versus CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp).

CFL bulbs have been around a while but suffer from a number of issues such as poor light quality, slow warm-up time, lack of dimming, bulky size, unable to switch on/off repeatedly, costly manufacturing process and toxic materials (they contain mercury vapour).

LED lights are not new either and have been found in all manner of devices for years, but only very recently have they started to encroach into mainstream domestic lighting. However, they’ve gained considerable ground and now out class CFL bulbs at every level while also presenting none of the problems.

So when it comes down it, as the saying goes, you pays your money and you makes your choice. But it’s worth bearing in mind that where electric lighting is concerned you get to pay twice - firstly for the bulbs and secondly when you run them.

Existing incandescent lighting employs a model whereby the bulbs are cheap and require frequent replacement but the running costs account for far and away the greatest portion of the total cost. CFL bulbs improve significantly on that but are frankly kicked into touch by LED’s that totally reverse this traditional model. LED light bulbs are comparatively expensive but they last 20-30 times longer and consume about 10 times less power.

Over time the savings from LED lights are huge and the payback period to recoup the initial purchase cost can be as little as one year, but more usually two to three at most. Taking into account also that the lighting industry itself is heavily backing LED and scaling back on CFL development and it’s not hard to see which way to jump here.

So what’s involved in switching over to LED? First get it firmly planted in your head that trying to replace your existing quite bright incandescent lights with those cheap 1 watt LED’s you see in some stores is a one way ticket to disappointment and wasted money. To replace say 40 - 60 watt incandescent bulbs will require 4 - 7 watts LED which is likely to cost up to 10 times more. But the procedure itself couldn’t be any simpler; just pull the incandescent bulb out and pop the LED in.

Probably the simplest way to begin is by replacing GU10 and/or MR16 halogen spots - these are beyond the scope of bulky CFL’s anyway. Staying with the halogen theme, then replace G4 capsules - these are commonly found in desk lamps and other fittings where space is at a premium (another failure for CFL then).

Once you’re done replacing halogen lamps, consider any T8 or T5 fluorescent tubes since these are also really easy to retrofit with LED which can produce as good or even better light quality (and without the characteristic flicker). And finally, even those traditional Edison screw or bayonet mount GLS light bulbs (as used in table lamps and hung from ceilings) can now be replaced with LED equivalent globes.

Find out more about low energy lighting from this article that takes a closer look at LED T8 lamps among many other things.

Tags: cfl, energy saving, fluorescent tubes, future of lighting, Halogen Lamps, home improvement, Incandescent Bulbs, led light, led light bulbs, lighting, low energy light bulbs, Low Energy Lighting, save energy, Saving Money

How To Easily Move To LED Lighting

Oct 27, 2009 Save Money

Most people are by now aware that traditional incandescent light bulbs are fast becoming a thing of the past and that LED (rather than CFL) alternatives represent the future of low-energy, low-cost, low-environmental impact lighting. But where to begin?

One option might be to purchase LED equivalent bulbs for all the various lights you currently have but I would caution against that approach. Not only would it turn out to a rather expensive exercise, but you it also greatly increases your chances of having the end result turn out rather badly.

Getting to grips with LED lighting doesn’t happen overnight - this is a completely different technology to incandescent lighting and requires a bit of getting used to before you can get it just right for your own needs. But stick with it and the end result is superior quality lighting that also happens to save massively on electricity costs.

Sound advice then is to begin with an area that either uses a lot of lighting or has the lighting switched on a lot (or simply somewhere you would like to refurbish anyway). In this way, your chances of seeing a noticeable difference with respect to both light quality and running costs are greatly increased.

It’s important to get off to a good start in this way as it will encourage you to then take another step further towards the final goal of switching totally from incandescent to LED. For many, if not most, people then it is the kitchen that invariably matches these criteria - it typically has a lot of lights that get used a lot and refurbishing the lighting provides a relatively cheap makeover.

The typical modern kitchen often uses quite a number of halogen lamps, either mounted on tracks or recessed into the ceiling. These waste a phenomenal amount of electricity as heat and are simplicity itself to replace with retrofit LED equivalents. Just pull the halogen lamp out and push in an LED rated to produce the same level of light. For GU10 LED bulbs that’s it, but for MR16 low-voltage lamps you should also purchase an LED driver to replace the 12v transformers previously used.

The same idea (straightforward replacement) also applies to lights installed atop, underneath and inside wall cabinets. Alternatively, add some lighting to these areas if none already exists since LED strip and miniature spot lights are simple to fit, being both light in weight and flexible with respect to being cut or connected to suit any configuration. A common technique is to accent plinths and covings, or if fitted to a kick board to pick out the floor.

Three key considerations should be borne in mind with regard to LED lighting.

1. Quality counts. It’s only natural to count the cost but what really counts with LED lighting is quality and the two are mostly related. Cheap products may look like a bargain but they won’t perform as well or produce the savings you should expect (recall that incandescent bulbs cost little to buy but ultimately represent a terrible waste of money when you calculate the true “cost of ownership”). Look out for respected brands such as Sharp’s Zenigata or the Cree Evolux.

2. Cost. The real cost of lighting is the price of the bulb(s) plus the cost of the electricity. Over say 50,000 hours, a regular 50 watt halogen bulb will need to be replaced 25 times and cost 1,000 times the price of the bulb in electricity. An equivalent LED will require no replacement and cost much the same to run over all that time as it costs to buy. So over 50,000 hours the true cost of a $20 LED is likely to work out at (20 + 20) $40 and that of a $1 halogen at ((1 * 25) + (1 * 1000)) $1025.

3. Usage. LED lighting is most effective if you use multiple light sources of varying intensity and color ranges. Although very bright, they tend not to project light as far as incandescent lights do, so one of the most common ways to resolve these characteristics is to simply reflect the light off a nearby surface. This produces a diffuse light that fills the space and neatly kills two birds with one stone.

For further information check out these articles that examine the subjects of 12v LED bulbs and 12v lighting in more detail.

Tags: energy, green issues, Halogen Lighting, home improvement, kitchen lighting, Led Lighting, lighting, low energy lights, Money Saving, reduce waste, save energy, Save Money, technology

How to Lower Your Electric Bill With Energy Efficient Lighting

Sep 19, 2009 Save Money

Are you looking for a bright idea to save money, save energy, and join the green revolution? Then look no further than your nearest light fixture!

Its probably still using the traditional incandescent bulbs invented over 100 years ago by Edison. Unfortunately, those bulbs are only using 10% of the energy consumed for lighting. That’s right … 90% of the energy consumed is wasted!

It’s time to step up to the future. Compact fluorescent bulbs and light at meeting diode bulbs are superior in almost every way. They are more efficient by a long margin and therefore save you money while reducing carbon emissions.

Here are some of the benefits and attributes of compact fluorescent light bulbs:

1. Anywhere a standard bulb will fit, works for these new compact for fluorescent bulbs

2. They are suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

3. You can find these bulbs in all familiar shapes — candelabra, vanity, globe, floodlight, and standard.

4. These bulbs can also be found at various brightnesses and colors including natural daylight and incandescent glow.

5. CFLs use approximately 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.

6. You pay a bit more for compact fluorescent bulbs initially but they last much longer (up to 10 times).

7. These bulbs are manufactured by the biggest companies in the business including Sylvania, Westinghouse, Phillips and GE.

Another alternative is light-emitting diode bulbs:

1. Light emitting diode bulbs last approximately 100 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.

2. LEDs are 1000% more efficient than incandescent bulbs. That’s 10 times more efficient.

3. Because LEDs are so energy-efficient they are ideal for flashlights, camping lights, and other battery-powered lights.

4. They are also suitable for reading lights, nightlights, track lighting, refrigerator lights, spa or pool lights, or Christmas lights.

The difference it would make countrywide in our energy usage and carbon emissions, if we all switched to compact fluorescent or light admitting diodes would be profound. Not only that but our energy budgets would see big-time savings.

You can find CFLs or LEDs at your local retailer, or they can be purchased online at www.bulbs.com.

Al Arbuckel enjoys writing helpful and informative articles for the internet community about saving energy and money at home. If you appreciated this article you might also like reading about the energy saving opportunities with tankless gas hot water heaters and the propane water heater on websites he has developed.

Tags: Budgets, decorating, electrical, electronics, Family, Finances, home, home accessories, Home Appliances, home improvement, home repair, lighting, Save Money, technology

Switch On To Low Energy Light Bulbs

Aug 6, 2009 Save Energy

There are many reasons to start moving to low energy light bulbs, not the least being that you can save a great deal of money, you can genuinely help fight against global warming, and at the end of the day you don’t have a choice since legislation to ban incandescent bulbs is beginning to really take effect.

So what choices are on offer in the world of domestic low energy lighting? In truth there are only two realistic technologies available: CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes).

Of the two, CFL’s have been fairly widely available for longer but are only about 4 times more efficient than incandescent and have a lot of serious issues relating to health, aesthetics, usability and the environment.

LED light bulbs for general domestic service have not been available very long at all, however they already exceed existing efficiency levels by a factor of 10 and continue to improve at an incredible pace; and aren’t hampered by a list of issues either.

So if LED’s are way better than either incandescent light bulbs or CFL’s then why aren’t more people installing them? There are several reasons but we’ll look at just the main two.

The first of which is that most folk have a perception that LED’s are for toys and decorative lights, not serious domestic lighting. This is mainly because viable LED alternatives to mainstream light bulbs haven’t been around long and are still not so easy to find.

The second main reason why adoption of LED technology has yet to take hold is that few people really understand the economics of lighting. It’s human nature to focus on that which is in front of us at the expense of working out what’s really going on.

That’s why we grumble when opening the latest electricity bill and balk when confronted with the cost of LED light bulbs in the hardware store; all the while totally missing the connection. A sizable proportion of the average electricity bill is due to the cost of lighting - it’s not the cost of the light bulbs that matters, it’s how much it costs to run them.

Those apparently cheap incandescent bulbs you’re been buying all these years waste 90+ percent of the electricity (that you pay for remember) as heat; less than 10 percent goes towards producing light. The equation for LED light bulbs is the exact reverse with over 90 percent of the electricity converted to light and less than 10 percent lost as heat.

You can hit break-even on the investment cost of apparently expensive LED bulbs in about a year and from there on just keep raking in the savings. Most LED’s last 50,000+ hours compared to 2,000 hours for incandescent lights, so that’s 25 times less replacement cost too. Perhaps high price, high quality LED’s are actually the cheaper option after all.

What features should you consider when looking for low energy light bulbs? Quality, quality and quality would be a good guide; avoid the many cheap LED’s available and you’ll also avoid disappointment.

It’s common to find that cheap LED’s provide very little information or guidance, where by contrast good quality ones are up front about the specifications they claim to match; for example 50 degree light beam angle, warm white colour and brightness equivalent to 35w.

The other main point to get used to is that LED’s are intrinsically very directional and thus compete very well with most conventional spotlights. LED light bulbs that provide all round illumination are available but they are much less common than the spot light formats, which are already becoming very popular as replacements for MR16 halogen spots.

As a side note, the term MR16 has become closely associated with low voltage (12v) lighting but it actually describes both the GU5.3 base format with two pins used for 12v systems and the GU10 twist n’ lock format used for main voltage lighting. In either case though, both 12v MR16 and its GU10 mains variant are an excellent way to get started right this minute with genuine energy saving lighting.

Tags: 12v lighting, cfl light bulbs, eco, energy saving, energy saving lighting, environment, Global Warming, home, home improvements, Led Lighting, lighting, low energy light bulbs, low voltage lights, save energy, Saving Money

Electricity And Its Origins

Aug 6, 2009 More Saving

Over the last 200 years, electricity has become an essential part of most aspects of modern life. One of the first successful, publicly available applications of electricity was the early incandescent light bulb.

The electric overhaul of society obviously brought many fresh new dangers with it, but it eliminated some of the old ones, like the naked flames of gas lighting that was commonly used in homes and factories then.

The Joule heating effect that can be found in light bulbs is also present in electric heating. Electric heating has been thought of as wasteful in the past because in order to create that heat energy, heat has already been used in the power stations

Denmark (among a few other countries) has issued a new law restricting electric heating use in new buildings, if allowed at all. As well as heating, electricity provides a hugely beneficial source of refrigeration. As temperatures get hotter, the demand for air conditioning gets higher, increasing the amount of energy used, and so climate change is increasing in a snowball effect.

Telecommunication is of course another area dependent upon electricity; in fact the electrical telegraph was one of the first successful applications of electricity.

Global communication was made possible in the 1860s with the invention of intercontinental telegraph systems, followed shortly by a transatlantic telegraph system. More recently, fibre optics and satellite communication have taken a large share of the communications market, but without electricity both would be rendered useless.

Electromagnetism is best seen in an electric motor, one of the cleanest sources of motive power. A stationary motor like a winch can easily be powered by a stationary external power source, but a moving motor like that of an electric vehicle must carry a power source with it, unless it works using a pantograph like some modern trains.

Arguably the most important invention of the 1900s, the transistor is an essential part of every modern electrical circuit. It is used to amplify or split electronic currents and a modern circuit could contain billions of very small transistors in only a few square centimetres.

Tags: appliances, Communications, electronics, energy, environment, gadgets, heating, History, home improvement, lighting, More Saving, Motor, power, science, technology

The Importance Of Electricity In Modern Times

Aug 2, 2009 More Saving

Over the last 200 years, electricity has become an essential part of most aspects of modern life. One of the first successful, publicly available applications of electricity was the early incandescent light bulb.

Although electricity obviously brought along some new dangers with it, it eliminated some of the old ones. For example, the gas lighting that was generally used in factories and homes before electricity used naked flames.

The Joule heating effect that is used in light bulbs is also used in electric heating. Electric heating, although easily controllable and versatile, could be deemed wasteful as heat has already been used to create this electricity in power stations.

A few countries, including Denmark have introduced new laws restricting the use of electric heating in new buildings as it is having an adverse affect on climate change. However as the global temperature rises the demand for Air conditioning goes up, and so climate change is getting worse with a snowball effect.

Telecommunication is of course another area dependent upon electricity; in fact the electrical telegraph was one of the first successful applications of electricity.

Global communication was made possible in the 1860s with the invention of intercontinental telegraph systems, followed shortly by a transatlantic telegraph system. More recently, fibre optics and satellite communication have taken a large share of the communications market, but without electricity both would be rendered useless.

Electromagnetism is most visibly apparent in the electric motor which of course provides an efficient and clean power motive. A motor that stays in one place, like a winch can easily be powered by a stationary power supply, but a moving motor like an electric car or scooter must carry its power supply along with it in the form of a battery, or it can gain electrical charge from sliding contact like with a pantograph.

The transistor is undoubtedly one of the most important breakthrough inventions of the 1900s. All modern electrical circuits use one to direct the right amount of electricity flow to the right application. Several billion tiny transistors can fit into only a few centimetres.

Tags: appliances, Communications, electronics, energy, environment, gadgets, heating, History, home improvement, lighting, More Saving, Motor, power, science, technology

Save Serious Money With Modern LED Lighting

Jul 5, 2009 Save Money

If you were anticipating a typical “how to” piece, you know the type, long on bland verbiage and short on factual information that scarcely manages to argue the case suggested by the title, then you’re in for a let down (or an unexpected surprise, depending on your viewpoint). I really can’t be bothered and quite honestly I hardly need to write anything at all - the numbers say it all, so let’s get stuck in.

A regular mains voltage halogen light of the type ubiquitously installed in ceilings requires 50W input power, costs about 2 to buy, will last maybe 2,000 hours and over that same period will use 12 worth of electricity; this is calculated by assuming very modest annual usage of 1,000 hours (about 3 hours each day) and the currently accepted average electricity price of 0.12 per kWh.

An equivalent GU10 format LED (in other words a quality LED such as Sharp’s Zenigata that is functionally almost identical) requires just 4W and will run for 40,000 hours or more; the purchase price is at the moment 24 but over 2,000 hours it costs just 0.96 in electricity to run.

Looks like the LED has priced itself out due to the much higher purchase cost, doesn’t it? But let’s add a bit more “real world” perspective into this picture.

First, over the full lifespan of that one LED you will have to replace your halogen lamp 20 times, so the purchase costs now look like 40 for the halogen lamp(s) versus 24 for the LED.

Second, if we view things over the lifespan of the LED rather than the feeble lifetime of the halogen then we incur running costs of 240 for the halogen compared to 19.20 for the LED.

As a final step, let’s now add together the running costs over 40,000 hours with the “real” purchase prices, and immediately it’s clear that the total bill for the LED will be 43.20 as compared to 280 for the halogen lamp (and its many replacements). If you thought this would be an exercise in scraping out 10% or even 50% savings, think again - the numbers do not deceive, halogen lamps cost 1000% more than LED equivalents.

Even when the purchases prices are accounted for, halogen lighting is still over 700% more costly. Halogen lamps appear cheap because each costs relatively little to buy, but the truth is they actually end up costing twice as much as an LED because of the frequent replacements, and they are massively more costly to run. LED’s are a completely different ball game and interestingly sometimes cost more to buy than to operate (as this example illustrates).

Of course, this example is deliberately small-scale and designed to illustrate the differences at the level of a single, modestly used light bulb. In passing from my kitchen (which faces North and has poor daylight) I counted 10 halogen down lights that get switched on at 07:00 and off again at 24:00; in the hall were 4 more; and back in my office I can see 6 that must average 6 hours each evening.

Just this little lot therefore clock up between them slightly over 100,000 hours annually ((6 * 6 * 365) + (10 * 17 * 365) + ((4 * 17 * 365)) which would present a bill of 600 (50w * 100000 hours * (0.12/1000)) using halogen lamps, but instead comes in at a much more agreeable 48 with LED lights. And that’s just for these 3 rooms.

If we look at real life examples such as shops, offices, hospitals, hotels, airports and so on, where it is commonplace to use artificial light almost all the time then things get really interesting. Economics is little more than mathematics with currency symbols, and if we extrapolate our simple calculations above the numbers start to resemble seriously big bucks.

We have already established that the purchase cost difference between the two gets cancelled out about halfway through the lifespan of the LEDs and that over time it’s actually much cheaper to buy 1 LED rather than replace a halogen lamp 20 times. We also now know that halogen lamps cost 12 times as much to run as equivalent LEDs. So why then would anyone choose NOT to switch to LED?

Tags: cutting bills, energy saving lighting, Halogen Lamps, home, home improvement, Led Lighting, lighting, low energy light bulbs, personal finance, reducing electricity, replacing halogen with led, Save Money, saving, Saving Money

Replace Halogen Lamps With LEDs? You’d Be Mad Not To!

Jul 1, 2009 Save Money

If you were anticipating a typical “how to” piece, you know the type, long on bland verbiage and short on factual information that scarcely manages to argue the case suggested by the title, then you’re in for a let down (or an unexpected surprise, depending on your viewpoint). I really can’t be bothered and quite honestly I hardly need to write anything at all - the numbers say it all, so let’s get stuck in.

A regular mains voltage halogen light of the type ubiquitously installed in ceilings requires 50W input power, costs about 2 to buy, will last maybe 2,000 hours and over that same period will use 12 worth of electricity; this is calculated by assuming very modest annual usage of 1,000 hours (about 3 hours each day) and the currently accepted average electricity price of 0.12 per kWh.

An equivalent GU10 format LED (in other words a quality LED such as Sharp’s Zenigata that is functionally almost identical) requires just 4W and will run for 40,000 hours or more; the purchase price is at the moment 24 but over 2,000 hours it costs just 0.96 in electricity to run.

At first sight it would appear that the LED costs way more simply because it costs so much to buy in the first place. But let’s look more closely at this picture to uncover the “real world” perspective.

First, over the full lifespan of that one LED you will have to replace your halogen lamp 20 times, so the purchase costs now look like 40 for the halogen lamp(s) versus 24 for the LED.

Additionally, if instead of comparing the two over the rather unimpressive lifespan of the halogen we use that of the LED (40,000 hours) then the LED costs 19.20 to run whereas the halogen lamp is a whopping 240.

Finally, let’s add back in the “real” purchase price differential and over 40,000 hours it looks like using halogen lighting costs us 280 whereas the equivalent LED instead costs 43.20. We’re way beyond projected savings of 10%, 20% or even 50% - the running costs of halogen lighting are over 1000% more than comparable LED lighting.

Even allowing for the initial purchase costs, halogen lighting is comfortably in excess of 700% more expensive. People tend to attach weight to upfront costs and are reluctant to spend 12 times as much to purchase an LED, yet as the above illustration shows the halogen’s combined repeat-purchase costs are double those of the LED and for operating costs it’s a monster. LED lighting is a different ball game altogether - notice for example that in this scenario the LED’s purchase price exceeds its lifetime electricity costs.

Of course, this example is deliberately small-scale and designed to illustrate the differences at the level of a single, modestly used light bulb. In passing from my kitchen (which faces North and has poor daylight) I counted 10 halogen down lights that get switched on at 07:00 and off again at 24:00; in the hall were 4 more; and back in my office I can see 6 that must average 6 hours each evening.

Just this little lot therefore clock up between them slightly over 100,000 hours annually ((6 * 6 * 365) + (10 * 17 * 365) + ((4 * 17 * 365)) which would present a bill of 600 (50w * 100000 hours * (0.12/1000)) using halogen lamps, but instead comes in at a much more agreeable 48 with LED lights. And that’s just for these 3 rooms.

Let’s examine some slightly more real world examples where artificial light operates almost constantly (hospitals, hotels, shops, offices, airports etc). Stir in some currency symbols and presto, simple mathematics is transformed into economics and all of a sudden we’re talking really big bucks.

We have already established that the purchase cost difference between the two gets cancelled out about halfway through the lifespan of the LEDs and that over time it’s actually much cheaper to buy 1 LED rather than replace a halogen lamp 20 times. We also now know that halogen lamps cost 12 times as much to run as equivalent LEDs. So why then would anyone choose NOT to switch to LED?

Tags: cutting bills, energy saving lighting, Halogen Lamps, home, home improvement, Led Lighting, lighting, low energy light bulbs, personal finance, reducing electricity, replacing halogen with led, Save Money, saving, Saving Money