Do LED Lights Use a Lot Of Electricity?

LED lights are pretty common nowadays, and you may even have some in your home or apartment without realizing it. You may have been told that they’re better than other types of lights, but do they use up a lot of electricity?

In general, LED lights do not use up a lot of electricity. This is especially true when LEDs are compared to other types of lights such as an incandescent light bulb or a fluorescent light bulb. In fact, LED lights are known for their energy-saving abilities.

Read on to learn more about LED lights, their electricity usage, and why I say “absolutely!” when people ask “Is switching to LED lights worth it?”

Is A Lot Of Electricity Used When You Have an LED Light?

Not at all. In fact, LED lights are known for saving energy. LEDs are estimated to use at least 75% less energy than incandescent lighting. That’s a lot of energy!

LEDs consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs. The Department of Energy estimates that by 2027, widespread use of LEDs could save the equivalent of the annual electrical output of 44 large electric power plants combined.

There is a huge potential for savings!

How DO LEDs Use Less Electricity?

LED lights use a different technology than traditional light bulbs. In an LED light, a certain process happens:

• First, electricity passes through semiconductor material
• This sparks up light-emitting diodes
• While that’s happening, a heat sink absorbs and releases the small amount of heat produced

Most of the energy used by an LED creates light. Which is what you would hope a lightbulb does, right? But by comparison, ninety percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs escapes as heat.

In addition to this, LEDs also emit light in a specific direction. With other types of lighting, the light has to be reflected in the desired direction and more than half of the light may never leave the fixture.

Are Residential Lightbulbs the Only LED Products?

Nope! There are so many LED products out there that can save you energy and money. Here are a few of our favorites-

• Garage "whole-room" lighting
• Holiday lights
• Industrial lighting
• Flashlights
• Grow lights
• Headlamps

Almost any lighting product you had pre-LEDs now exists in LED form. Every year, there are new options on the market.

Are LED Lights Cheaper To Run?

They are definitely cheaper than their counterparts. The less energy used, the less your electricity bill will be. And LEDs use up much less energy than other options.

Studies have shown that you can save up to $1,000 over a ten-year period.

Here’s a quick chart comparing incandescent to LED’s when it comes to savings.

	Incandescent bulb	LED bulb
Price per bulb per year	$5.18	$1.20
Price per bulb over 10 years	$78.80	$17.25

Do LED Lights Last Longer?

LED lights last much longer. LED bulbs last 10 years but can sometimes last longer. Incandescent bulbs last only one year.

This is a great thing because a longer-lasting bulb leads to spending much less money to replace that bulb in the long run.

This also means you won’t have to think about changing your bulbs as often, which can be extremely convenient. If you have a light fixture that’s high up, or hard to reach, it’s always a good feeling to know you don’t have to worry about changing its bulbs for another ten years.

Where can I find LED Lights?

Well, great news! All of our lights over at STKR are LED. But if you’re looking for a type of LED light that we don’t carry (we’re not big into the holiday light thing) then you can go to any local hardware store and they’ll hook you up.

As LEDs are becoming more and more popular, it’s becoming more standard for all hardware stores to carry them.

Can I Leave LED Lights on All Day?

Yes! But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. We don't recommend leaving any type of light on all day because it's bad for your wallet, and for the environment.

As a general rule though, LED lights are long-lasting and can be left on all day and every day. Because LEDs produce minimal amounts of heat, they aren’t a risk for starting any fires.

But just remember, no matter what type of light you use, the longer you leave the lights on, the higher your electric bill will be.

Are LED Lights Safe?

They’re actually safer than other options. The number one hazard when it comes to lighting is the emission of heat. LEDs emit almost no forward heat. This means there’s virtually no risk of a fire or heat-related injury.

In addition to this, unlike CFL’s there’s no mercury in LEDs, which also makes them much safer. Mercury can be extremely hazardous, and a big safety issue for households with younger children.

Should I Replace All My Light Bulbs With LED?

We think so! The only reason to choose to replace one or two instead of all is the cost factor. As the LED bulbs cost more upfront (though they save you plenty over time). Outside of that, there’s really no reason not to replace all of your old bulbs with LEDs.

What Are the Cons of LED Lights?

We’ll be honest, there aren’t very many cons to LEDs, and the pros outweigh the cons by a mile. But here are a few to keep in mind-

• Upfront cost- Although you’ll save money over time, the upfront cost is more. So when you decide to invest in LED Lighting, be prepared to pay more than usual upfront.
• The color- When you first switch to LED lights, you may notice that the color of the light is not what you’re used to. Most people get used to this in no time, but for some people, it might take a while to adjust.
• The grunt work- Believe it or not, you do actually have to install all of your new bulbs once you purchase them, they won't install themselves. And that can mean breaking a ladder out of the garage that you haven't seen in a while.

Do LED Lights Attract Bugs?

You may have heard that LED lights attract bugs. Is this true?

Yes and no. Bugs are attracted to lights in general because they mistake the light source for the moon. And some are also attracted to the heat that comes off of the light.

But studies have revealed that LED lights attract fewer bugs than other light types because insects are attracted to ultraviolet light (invisible light) unlike LEDs that transform electrical energy into visible light.

In addition to this, LED lights are cooler than other types of lights. So bugs that are attracted to lights as a heat source won’t find LEDs nearly as attractive. Sorry bugs!

How Do LED’s Help the Environment?

We’ve talked about how they conserve energy, but how exactly does that help planet earth?

• Less energy use reduces the demand from power plants and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.
• LED lights contain no toxic elements like Mercury. Toxic elements contaminate the environment when disposed of in landfill waste.
• Less LED lights are needed to achieve the same level of brightness given off by fluorescents. Fewer lights reduce energy consumption and the reduced energy consumption is a benefit to the environment.
• LEDs have a much longer lifespan. This results in using fewer lights and fewer resources are needed to make said lights (such as resources used in the manufacturing processes, and transportation process).

LED lights do not use up a lot of electricity when compared to other types of lights. They are more efficient than any other type of lighting, they save you money, and they are much safer than other types of lighting.