What Makes LED Lighting a Better Option for Homes?

A lot has changed since LED light bulbs first hit stores in 2002. Back then, LEDs had a reputation for high prices and harsh white light. Yet today, LED light bulbs are much more affordable, incredibly eco-friendly, and can be intelligently controlled right from your smartphone.

If your home still uses mostly compact fluorescent (CFL) or incandescent bulbs, you may be wondering: why switch now? And what is the difference between the three lightbulbs?

In this article, we’ll break down the difference between light bulb types and share the amazing smart benefits of LED light fixtures. You may soon see your Pasadena, CA home in an all-new light!

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Incandescent, CFL, and LED Lighting: What’s the Difference?

 

Incandescent Lights

We all grew up with incandescent light bulbs—the familiar circular shape that’s not so different from Edison’s first invention. Unfortunately, incandescent bulbs are the least energy-efficient bulb option, using only two percent of their energy to produce light. That means 98 percent of their energy is wasted on heat output! 

If you’ve ever touched an incandescent bulb after turning off the lights, you’ll remember how hot they can get. That heat burns through lightbulbs, leading you to replace them more often.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps

Also known as CFL bulbs, you’ll recognize these as spiral-shaped light bulbs that are advertised as eco-friendly. While CFLs are a step above incandescent lights, they are still ten times less efficient than LED bulbs.

One reason CFLs don’t last as long as LEDs is their slow brightening capacity. If you’ve ever turned on a CFL, you may have noticed that the room starts dim and gradually brightens. Slow brightening cycles wear on light bulbs, causing them to expire sooner. CFLs also require more energy than LEDs. In fact, you could replace an 84-watt CFL light with a 36-watt LED, and the light levels will remain the same.

LED Lights

LED stands for light-emitting diode, which means light is created through a diode, and not a filament like in older bulbs. This lets LEDs run cooler, so they last up to 133 times longer than incandescent lights—and ten times longer than compact fluorescents! The average LED light can burn for 60,000 hours. That’s more than six years!

Beyond energy savings, it’s a lesser-known fact that most LEDs do not attract insects, making them an excellent option for outdoor lights. Plus, unlike CFLs, they reach full brightness instantly, so you won’t have to wait through a slow burn until the room is bright. 

And perhaps best of all, LED lights can be intelligently controlled for color-changing and automation features!

Smart Lighting Control with LED Lights

If you own a lighting system like Lutron or a home controller like Savant, you can customize the color and brightness of your LEDs anytime—right from your phone, tablet, wall keypad, or voice assistant.

In the mood for cozy vibes at night? Set the scene by dimming the LEDs and adjusting the color to a warm, golden hue. Hosting a cocktail party? Choose your lights and then select any shade of the rainbow.

We can automate your smart LEDs to follow a routine so that throughout the day, their appearance automatically adjusts. Motion sensors and geofencing can tell lights when to turn on (and for how long). And by integrating LEDs with motorized shades, we can create smart scenes like “Good Morning” that raise the shades and turn on the lights with one press of a button.

Lutron and Savant manufacture their own smart LED bulbs, but they’re compatible with many other manufacturers, including EcoSmart, Seagull, Philips, Halo, and Cree. With LED lights, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Ready for Smart Lighting in Southern California?

Personal Technology designs and installs luxury lighting systems that focus on the human experience and living efficiently. Contact our team here to learn more about our smart solutions today!