If you upgrade your lights to LED do they really save energy and your money? Can you really reduce your bills if you upgrade to LED?
It’s universally acknowledged that LEDs are the most efficient lighting technology. They’re instantly bright, they don’t need to generate heat to produce light, they can last for thousands of hours, maybe even decades, they never ‘flicker’ and their quality of light is more superior than older lighting technology. LED technology is so sophisticated that the world’s smallest LED is around the size of a grain of salt!
So, we know LEDs are pretty amazing but do LED lights really save energy or money?
There are programs across Australian states to encourage households and businesses to reduce their carbon emissions to help the country hit its Paris Climate Agreement targets and in Victoria, we have the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. One of the largest incentives in the program is the LED retrofit incentive where Victorian homes and businesses can upgrade some types of light fittings to LED subsidised, or completely free in some cases.
We’ve mentioned in many blog posts how outdated globes (bulbs) can be notoriously inefficient. For example, incandescent globes use 95% of their energy needs to heat up the elements within the globe to produce light. Therefore so much of the energy consumption is wasted in heat energy, not light energy. Compare this to an LED globe that uses 85% less energy but supplies the same brightness of light but doesn’t run as hot and lasts years longer, if not decades. There’s your saving.
Until now LEDs have been very expensive. Their technology is more advanced, the demand for them doesn’t have the history and steady supply as incandescents or halogen globes and some of their elements are more expensive to source, but thanks to the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, they’re free!
Please note: As of 1st February 2023, FREE Lighting upgrades are no longer available for Victorian homes. This is in accordance with the Victorian Energy Upgrades program (VEU).
To be honest, even if the LEDs weren’t free, they’d be worth considering for your property. LEDs are safer to run (they’re not hot near your insulation), they don’t add to the stress of your air conditioning, you may never need to replace them, they won’t flicker and their quality of light is more reliable and pleasing, they don’t require a ‘warm-up’ time; they’re bright straight away and they don’t contain dangerous chemicals like mercury. Allround they’re a more sophisticated globe that is worth a look at.
Here’s a great stat:
Did you know you can run 20 LED downlights for the cost of 1 old halogen downlight! You could literally light your whole home or just 1 globe for the same amount of energy and lighting costs.
A typical halogen downlight uses 30 watts of energy and our LED downlights use 6 watts, a reduction of 83%. Not only do LEDs immediately reduce your energy use, but halogen downlights ‘blow’ pretty often and LED downlights can last for thousands of hours, sometimes even as long as 20 years. This means you will spend significantly less money purchasing replacement globes for your property which is a huge money-saver, not to mention the time you’re saving.
With stats like these, it’s clear that upgrading to LED can save you energy and therefore save you money on your lighting costs. Lighting your home can be one of the most expensive parts of your energy bill and upgrading to LED can be such a simple – and even free! – way to reduce your home energy bill.
Please note: As of 1st February 2023, FREE Lighting upgrades are no longer available for Victorian homes. This is in accordance with the Victorian Energy Upgrades program (VEU).
Yes they do. Old light globes can be inefficient and costly. LEDs are a new and energy-efficient technology that can last decades.
Yes! Did you know you can run 20 LED downlights for the cost of 1 old halogen downlight! You could literally light your whole home or just 1 globe for the same amount of energy and lighting costs.
Should you make the step and upgrade to LED? Are LEDs more energy efficient than other globes and if so, why? Find out here.
We answer the question - are LEDs more efficient that CFLs and is it worth your time upgrading your property from CFL to LED?
What is the difference between a standard downlight and an integrated modular (IC Rated) downlight? And, are they free to upgrade?
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