Page 46 - November 2015 Green Builder Magazine

The Homeowner’s Handbook SIXTH EDITION

Lighting08

44 Illuminating efficiency.

Retrofitting your home with LEDs The Cost of Lighting, Bulb by Bulb

is one of the simplest ways to Lifespan LED CFL Incandescent
Watts 50,000 Hours 10,000 Hours 1,000 Hours
reduce overall energy demand. 8-12 13-15 60

LIGHTING MAKES UP about 11 percent of the typical *Annual Energy Use 18.3 kWh 25.5 kWh 109.5 kWh
home’s energy use. But as homes become more efficient
www.greenbuildermag.com 11.2015 and demand for space heating and cooling drops, the **Annual Energy Cost $2.19 $3.06 $13.14
lighting piece of the “pie” becomes more significant. The
emergence of LED lighting has transformed the lighting Energy Cost, 50,000 $60.00 $84.00 $360.00
industry over the past several years. The EPA estimates Hours None None
that widespread use of LEDs could save 348 terawatt-hours (TWh) Toxic Materials $10.00 Contains $1.00
by 2027—the equivalent annual output of 44 large electrical plants. Mercury
LEDs, or light emitting diodes, produce differently than old- Cost per Bulb $3.00
fashioned incandescent bulbs or compact fluorescent bulbs. LEDs
utilize a semi-conductor as the diode; when electricity passes # of Bulbs Needed, 1 5 50
through it, the material lights up. The heat generated is captured 50,000 hours
in a heat sink. LEDs are much cooler than “conventional” bulbs;
they are also much more energy efficient and last much longer. *Assuming average of 10 W for LED, 14 W for CFL, and assuming bulb is on an
Until recently, applications were limited and LEDs were prohibi- average of five hours per day
tively expensive. That has changed, as a quick tour of any big box
store will show you. LED lamps (bulbs), can lights and fixtures **Assuming $0.12/kWh
have become cost competitive, making it easy to retrofit existing
fixtures with energy-efficient LEDs. and entertainment lighting, including “holiday” lights. Part of the
At the same time, “smart” technology is changing how we think problem was that there is actually no such thing as a “white” LED.
about lighting, and holds the potential for making already efficient Common LED colors include amber, red, green, and blue. In order
lights even more so. Here are some points to consider as you plan to “make” white light, different color LEDs are mixed or covered
your next lighting purchases.

LEDS
Disruptive Technology

For a long time, LEDs were unknown in residential lighting, but
were used in electronics and in the marine and aviation industries.
More recently, LEDs have been used in traffic signals, vehicle lights

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nickel finish and beautiful white glass. Built-in LEDs use only eight watts of transitions, timed events and
energy, yet have the light output of a 100-watt incandescent bulb. many desirable options to enhance the home.
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