It’s something that many people do once in blue moon, but if you’ve found yourself looking to replace your old or dis lightbulbs, you’ve likely seen that there’s now a startling variety to choose from. New technology has brought internet-connected bulbs that can change colour or switch on and off at your command. What was once a simple choice is now a complicated decision to make.
You may be wondering– “why are LEDs better than incandescent bulbs? There’s nothing wrong with my lights as they are!” which is why we’ve created an in-depth comparison of incandescent vs LED lights. As the nights are drawing in, and electricity bills continue to rise, it’s more important than ever to swap your older incandescent bulbs for modern LED lightbulbs– and here’s why.
How Is An LED Bulb Different From An Incandescent Bulb?
The incandescent bulb was patented by Thomas Edison in 1879 and has been used to light up homes for over 100 years. These bulbs contain filaments, and when an electrical current is passed through the filament it is heated to a temperature hot enough to produce a bright light.
LED stands for “light-emitting diode” and these bulbs produce light from the flow of electrical charge between an anode and a cathode. In comparison to the traditional bulb, an LED bulb does not contain the fragile wire filament like an incandescent lightbulb.
LEDs vs Traditional Lights
LED Bulbs Require 75% Less Energy Than Incandescent Bulbs
Incandescent lights generate heat to they light up, meaning they are using extra power to do so. LED bulbs create light through the flow of electrons to create photons, which is the light we see, but produces almost no heat. Because they don’t generate heat, LED bulbs create the same brightness using far less energy.
LEDs Last A Lot Longer
An LED bulb can last between 25,000 - 50,000 hours of continuous use. An incandescent bulb on the other hand, has a lifespan of around 1,000 - 2,000 hours. So one LED bulb would last as long as twenty older incandescent lightbulbs!
LED Bulbs Are Cheaper
Although years ago LED bulbs were more expensive, they are now the lighting industry go-to and are now as cheap as incandescent bulbs. On an energy rate of £0.19 per kWh of a 5W LED light bulb would cost £19 over its lifetime. An equivalent incandescent bulb, however, would cost £152 over the same period!
Using LED bulbs in Traditional Lighting
Don’t fret about LED’s not working with traditional lights, all of our period-style lighting and Tiffany lights work with LED bulbs to provide a beautiful source of light. LED bulbs to come in a range of modern and period designs to suit classic or more modern lighting styles.
Advances in LED technology now mean that most LEDs are similar in colour tone to the old incandescent lamps, almost impossible to tell them apart. Gone are the days of the harsh almost blue hue, today's LEDs have a lovely warm tone to them, so there's no need to hold on to your older incandescent lightbulbs!
Lighting accounts for 18 per cent of an average household electricity bill, so make sure you’ve got quality indoor lighting and energy-efficient bulbs before the darker winter months arrive!