LED lights were first developed in the 60’s, but did not become popular for almost 50 years after. Nowadays, everywhere you look you’ll see LED lights, and there’s a reason for that. LED lights are not only more efficient than incandescent lights, but also much more customizable. The various shapes and sizes of LED lights provide limitless opportunities allowing you to customize your project as you wish. In this article, we’ll highlight various benefits of LED lights and offer various options to help illuminate your house.
Benefits of LEDs
Longer Life
LED lights don’t burn out like regular lights, and, as a result, last much longer with a life expectancy of 100,000 hours. In other words, if you were to leave an LED light on for 8 hours a day it would take about 20 years before having to replace the LED light.
More Efficient
Incandescent bulbs make light by heating a metal filament that releases light and energy – the only problem with this is that 80-90% of this energy is released as heat not light. LED lights are the opposite as their energy is released as 80-90% light and not heat. This means LED lights need less energy to light the same amount of space compared to incandescent lights.
Less Heat
The improved efficiency of LED lights allows them to give off less heat than other light bulbs. This means that LEDs will remain cool and not heat up a space; thus, LED lights can save you money by lessening the need for AC or fans.
Less Expensive
Because LED lights use less energy, they therefore cost less money. People often assume LED’s cost more because their upfront price is higher, but their energy efficiency paired with their longer life expectancy causes them to actually be much cheaper than incandescent or halogen bulbs.
Environmentally Friendly
LED lights do not emit UV and infrared light causing them to be much more environmentally friendly. LEDs also do not contain any toxic chemicals and are 100% recyclable.
Design Flexibility
LED lights come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors allowing for flexibility in design and various methods for illumination. LED lights can also be individually dimmed allowing dynamic control of lighting, color, and distribution. With LED lights, you can achieve miraculous lighting effects not only for the eye but also for the mood and mind. We’ll cover a few of the places LEDs could be used in your yard to help customize your lighting and upgrade your yard as a whole.
Yard Lights
Yard lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes from spotlights to flood lights to specialty lighting. One common use of LED lights is to illuminate a specific plant within your yard. LED lights can also light walkways or decks to emphasize them. The possibilities for lighting your yard with LEDs are truly limitless and an LED light can be placed anywhere you can imagine.
Pool Lights
Nothing is more eye catching than a well-lit pool, and this is why pools are the perfect spots for LEDs. The large color range of LEDs is beneficial in a pool as you can illuminate the water in any color of the rainbow. LED lights can also light up water features like a waterfall or spitters. Regardless of your choice, LED lights are a must in any pool for night swimming.
Home Lights
LED lights work not only outdoors but also inside. Replacing any simple light from a lamp to a ceiling light with an LED will help to save you money and benefit the environment. The option to dim LEDs is especially helpful indoors and can help set the mood. So next time your incandescent bulb burns out, try upgrading to an LED light.
LED lights are better than incandescent bulbs in almost every way, and in our eyes there’s no reason not to make the switch. However, be careful not to go overboard and light up your yard like it’s Christmas; light placement is an art and sometimes less is more.