Are you currently embarking on a journey to lower your carbon emissions as a company? If your answer was yes, which we hope it was, have you considered the impact that switching to LED lighting could have on your strategy? Many companies overlook LEDs, with the impression that they’re costly to purchase, they don’t bring in a large enough return on investment, and that LEDs aren’t even that much better for the planet than traditional lighting alternatives. Well, we’re here to shed some light (see what we did there) on how LEDs can help you save energy and cut carbon emissions, to get you rethinking your current strategy.
First of all, let’s get to the bottom of the reasons that might be holding you back from making the switch to LEDs. Are you worried that the cost to purchase and install LEDs will be too high? LEDs did used to be notoriously pricey, as the technology was new and just beginning to really hit the market. Since 2010 though, the price of LED lights has fallen considerably. Nowadays, a typical LED light bulb is likely to cost you between £10 and £20, with an LED tube coming in closer to £20 to £40. Although there is a higher initial investment with LEDs compared to incandescent and CFLs, the saving soon start to roll in, typically outweighing that initial cost.
So how much can installing LEDs actually save you in energy? Impressively, LEDs use up to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, meaning LEDs could save your business up to a whopping 90% on your energy bills! Impressive, right? Not only is the monetary saving great, but as LEDs use so much less energy, they reduce your carbon footprint because generating electricity produces CO2 (Carbon Dioxide).
Onto the benefits for the planet and your carbon emissions. Incandescent and CFL bulbs are renowned for feeling hot to the touch and emitting heat from the bulb. LEDs, on the other hand, transform a huge 95% of the energy used into light, meaning only 5% is lost as heat. For comparison, incandescent bulbs typically waste an enormous 90% of their energy as heat and CFLs follow close behind, wasting 80% of the energy used as heat. Not only does this make LEDs so much more efficient than traditional bulbs, but it also hugely reduces the risk of fire caused by overheating bulbs. A win-win!
A benefit to both your wallet and the planet is the outstanding lifespan of an LED bulb! With an average lifespan of 17 years, you certainly won’t need to replace bulbs as often as you would with traditional lighting. This saves you from spending money on replacement bulbs so often and means fewer bulbs will need to be manufactured, therefore reducing the waste of materials and resulting in less carbon emissions being sent out during the manufacturing and distribution processes.
So, have we convinced you? LEDs really are the way forward for businesses. So much so that currently, LED lightbulbs account for two-thirds of the lights sold in England, and experts believe that LEDs will account for 85% of all light bulbs sold by 2030 (BBC, 2021). Don’t get left behind. Get in touch today for a free LED quotation from our team of experienced electricians, specialising in energy-saving solutions.
