Beautifully lit dining room with table and chairs, energy efficient lighting.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs to Save Money

As technology continues to improve and become more energy-efficient the government standards follow closely behind to ensure we are are doing what we can for the environment.

The lighting industry continues to make great improvements in the energy needed to light your home.

The old-trusted incandescent light bulbs have been the main light source for decades. The low price and familiarity has kept them in the market but new models like LEDs (light emitting diodes) and CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) are now performing at a higher level by producing the same brightness for less wattage and therefore consume less energy.

CFLs are smaller fluorescent tubes most commonly seen in warehouses and business settings.  CFL uses about 25% of the wattage of incandescent and 85% less energy.  CFLs are around the 1,000 hour lifespan, roughly 10x longer than incandescent bulbs.

LEDs are increasing in popularity in residential and street lighting. Using up to 85% less energy and can last from 25-30 years makes them an ideal option! LEDs can tend to be slightly more expensive but the annual cost savings will generally make up for the initial difference in cost.

Savings Using Energy-Efficient Bulbs

Using the formula below, you can calculate your savings from energy-efficient lighting.

Assumptions:

50 light bulb sockets

60 watt incandescent light bulbs

2,000 hours of electricity annually

$0.11 per Kilowatt Hour

50 (Number of Bulbs) x 60 (Wattage of Bulbs) = 3000 Watts (Total Wattage)

3000 (Total Wattage) / 1000 = 3 Kilowatts

3 (Kilowatts) x 2000 (Hours of Usage Annually) = 6000 Kilowatt/Hr

6000 (Kilowatt/Hr) x $0.11 (Cost of Energy per kWh) = $660.00 per year

 

If you were to switch to 14-watt CFLs (60-watt incandescent equivalents) with the other assumptions the same.

50 (Number of Bulbs) x 14 (Wattage of Bulbs) = 700 Watts

700 (Total Wattage) / 1000 = 0.7 Kilowatts

0.7 (Kilowatts) x 2000 (Hours of Usage Annually) = 1400 Kilowatt/Hr

1400 (Kilowatt/Hr) x $0.11 (Cost of Energy per kWh) = $154.00 per year

 

In this scenario, there are savings of $506 annually on energy costs.

If you factor in that incandescent bulbs will fail far sooner than CFLs and need to be replaced sooner, you will gain cost savings in this area also.

I hope this helps with your energy and light bulb considerations for your home.

 

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

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