LED vs Incandescent vs CFL: Why You Should Switch

Why LED Lighting Is the Right Choice

Most people have been grandfathered into one type of lighting, and neglected to consider all of their options. For a long time, the incandescent bulbs made up the vast majority of lighting options available. Then, the compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) brought us the bulbs synonymous with locker rooms and bad photos everywhere. From here, came the LED bulb. It may have started off weak, but LED lighting has become one of the most innovative options in the world of illumination.

Not only does it provide green outdoor lighting options, LED technology has reached a point where it can replace a traditional 75W bulb using only 10W of electricity. Still not sold on the idea of switching to LEDs? This list of advantages might help:

LEDs Present Fewer Fire Hazards
Incandescent and CFL bulbs reach temperatures of 335.4 F and 179.2 F respectively. LED bulbs rarely get above 84 F because they are using the majority of their energy for light instead of generating heat. This prevents a massive heat build up for larger projects and can stop domestic and outdoor LED lighting projects from turning in to a fireman’s nightmare. Less heat equals fewer opportunities to direct that heat towards flammable materials.

Capability for Illumination
LED bulbs have proven themselves brighter and more efficient than CFLs and incandescent bulbs over and over again. A 10W LED bulb can put out as many lumens as a 75W incandescent bulb and a 13W CFL bulb. This means that an LED light is using less energy to produce the same results each year; translating into a lower electric bill and fewer bulb changes. Low maintenance is always preferable.

Life of the Bulb
Looking at the lifespan of an LED bulb is almost embarrassing compared to those of incandescent and CFL bulbs. On average, an LED bulb will burn for 50,000 hours before needing to be changed. The CFL bulb comes in second with a measly 8,000 hours, and last (and definitely least) is the incandescent bulb—at just 750 hours of light.

Green Impact
Many of the materials that go into LED bulbs can be recycled and don’t contain harmful chemicals like CFLs. They also don’t take as long to biodegrade as incandescent lights, and it takes fewer LEDs to form a long-term light source. You outdoor LED landscape lighting can be just as environmentally friendly as the landscape itself!

Municipal LED Lighting Projects

For more information on outdoor and street lighting options for your municipality, contact Great Basin Lighting. We can get you out of the shadows and into the future of LED lighting design.