An upgrade in lighting can make a difference both in the office space as well as the home. Although as a homeowner you are bound to see a pay off in the purchase of LED lighting, in the business world is where the big savings happen. If you think about the number of light fixtures are found in a small business or major retailer every little bit of savings per light really adds up. Although making the switch over to higher efficient lighting will save in utilities that's not the only reason to make the change we'll discuss some of these in this article.
For some places changing from incandescent lighting to florescent or compact florescent (CFL) lighting would be considered an upgrade, however florescent light contain harmful mercury vapor. Although the amount of mercury in each bulb is fairly minimal if you add up the various bulbs that may be used in your work area the amount of harmful gas starts adding up. Because of this florescent bulbs should not be disposed of in the trash. Disposal of florescent takes more care, taking them to a designated recycler.
LED lighting may have recyclable components, but the major plus for convenience is that they can be simply thrown away in your trash since they don't contain any hazardous materials.
A lumen is a measurement of light a fixture or bulb provides. When the days of incandescent bulbs choices of brightness of a light was more determined by the fixtures' wattage capabilities. The higher the wattage the brighter the bulb could be used. With the introduction of LEDs lumens have become more the subject. LED lighting can provide the same amount of lighting as an incandescent in a fraction of energy usage. Not to mention LED lights also have a greater offering of the color spectrum allowing you to have a truer natural light, often called “daylight” lighting. Different from the dimmer yellow light cast by old lighting options daylight lighting provides the closest thing to brilliant colors you'd see outside in the comfort of the indoors.
As stated above LEDs can provide brighter light at a fraction of the energy of an incandescent. Meaning a savings will be realized every minute of the long day a business has their lights on. LEDs also have a longer life than other options. An LED bulb can last up to 25 times longer than an incandescent bulb saving money, hassle and our environment. Local utilities often offer incentives for homeowners and businesses to make the change over to more efficient LED lighting. Add the fact that with the greater production or and use of LED lighting it is becoming more and more affordable.
Some upgrades in lighting may only require the change of a light bulb, but often in commercial/business locations the lighting will require either full replacement of the fixture or at least of the ballast. When it comes to these kind of changes it's best to leave the upgrade to an electrician.
Bryant is here when you need them. Do you have questions about what would be the best upgrade option for you business or home? Give us a call at 402-470-8162 or complete our online contact form to get help with your project. We offer free estimates for all electrical and lighting projects, so contact us today!