LED Lighting Guide for the Home

Not much thought goes into electricity in our home, we flick switches and stuff turns on. Rather simple really, isn’t it?

But there should be some thought in how that electricity is used once a switch is flicked, such as, is it being used on the most efficient technology, and does it even need to be used?

In this guide, you will find in out how you can reduce your energy usage at home without compromising on your lifestyle by switching to LED lighting.

Lighting plays many important roles in a home beyond just providing light. When used correctly, lighting can create the best environment for certain moods or activities. Lighting can also help improve a person’s health, which is often a huge oversight when choosing lighting.

Technology in lighting has come a long way in the last decade, but many homes are still using outdated technology that uses unnecessary energy.

This outdated technology includes Halogen and Incandescent bulbs.

Rather than using these bulbs, which are proven to have negative health effects, people should be using LED lighting in their homes for multiple reasons, including:

Higher quality light
More flexibility in terms of mood lighting
Cheaper to run
Last longer

Energy savings

When it comes to cutting energy costs in a home, LED lighting is the first place to look.

This short video highlights just how much money could save at home by switching over to LED lighting.

If you had 10 60W bulbs that are collectively on for 10 hours a day and replaced them with 10 LED bulbs, you’d have an annual saving of £29.64 a year. You can buy 10 high quality LED bulbs for £20, meaning you’d get a return on your investment within a year, and from that point onwards you’ll continue to save.

Quality of light

Not only will LED lighting reduce your energy bill, it’ll also bring a better quality of light into your home.

LEDs are capable of such brightness, that wattage isn’t really a viable way to measure brightness which is how t has been measured in previous years. Lumens are the best method of measuring brightness. Let’s look at a comparison of Lumens in a 40w incandescent bulb and an equivalent LED bulb.

Type	Lumens
Incandescent	450
LED	4,000

As you can see, LEDs are capable of far brighter levels. But of course, you may not always need high brightness which brings us to the next benefit of LEDs, is that when they are dimmed, they use less energy.

Unlike incandescent, the energy usage of an LED bulb is reduced when being dimmed and doesn’t flicker like some incandescent bulbs can.

Colour range

For incandescent bulbs to change colour they often require gels or filters, which can burn out or fade over time. LEDs, however, use the actual diode to change colour of the emitted light which ensure that the same shade of colour is maintained throughout the product’s life.

Less heat generated

The amount of heat generated from a bulb is important too. If a bulb gets hot, it increases the risk of failure and it’s also a waste of energy. 90% of energy in incandescent bulbs is lost through heat.

The heat generated in LEDs is significantly lower, which is demonstrated in this video.

By having a far lower surface temperature, LED bulbs are far safer to touch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS231zKbxOo&

Choosing the right LED lights

There are many applications for LED lights, from the lounge ceiling to the under stair’s cupboard or the garage to under the kitchen cabinets. The opportunities are endless.

It’s important that you chose the right LED lighting for your environment. For example, what you have in your lounge will likely be completely different in your bathroom.

A lounge will often ask for a warm colour but perhaps with the opportunity to change colour or brightness levels. Whereas a bathroom most likely wants a bright and clear white that makes it easy to see in the mirror.

We have laid out 5 simple steps for you to go through to ensure you get the correct LED lighting

Step 1: Which fitment do you require?

Bulbs come in multiple fitments, and you need to select the right one for your application. You can use the below graphic to match your current fittings to type you need.

Step 2: Which type of bulb do you want?

The style of the bulb matters too, especially if it’s a bulb that will be visible.

For example, if you’ve got a bulb that’s going to be exposed in a chandelier, you may want a bulb that’s aesthetically pleasing for example a filament bulb.

You can use the below graphic to get an idea of what style you may prefer. These are just a few examples, so if there’s a style you can’t find then use Google to find the perfect match.

Step 3: How bright do you want the bulb?

As already mentioned, when looking at the brightness of LED bulbs you need to look at Lumens and not Wattage.

Step 4: Which colour temperature do you want?

Colour temperature is measured in kelvins, and you want to check that you select lights that measure the colour temperature you’re looking.

In a lounge, you may be looking for a warm colour which would range from 2200-3000 kelvins. For a bathroom, or an outdoor light you’d want something a little brighter, nearer to 3500-4500k

Step 5: Do you require special features?

You’ve decided on your style, brightness and colour – but what about features? Some bulbs offer the ability to dim, and some don’t – so be sure you chose one that matches your need.

You may also want bulbs with smart features, such as the ability to connect to them with your phone or a remote.

Bulbs that operate via a remote are cheaper than truly smart bulbs such as Philips Hue, but they require you to have a remote nearby. Whereas, using Philips Hue as an example, you can control smart bulbs with your voice or your phone.

Not only can smart bulbs we dimmed, turned on/off by voice but some models will also allow colour changing which is a fantastic feature in any home. Take your house parties to a whole new level!

Once you’ve gone through these 5 steps, then you’ll be in a position to purchase some lighting and there’s no better place to do that than the SaveMoneyCutCarbon website.