Light Your Way to Cost Savings

This week, we dig into how your clients might reap substantial savings by upgrading to LED, or light-emitting diode, lighting.

You’ve been in the dark if you don’t know how much longer LED lights last than traditional bulbs. “We have some lights that will last over 100,000 hours, and most of our lights are rated for at least 50,000 hours,” says Clyde Porcella, a lighting specialist with Access Fixtures in Massachusetts. “In most cases, LEDs last at least twice as long as traditional lights.”

Combined with their lower consumption of power, the longer lifespan might prove especially appealing to environmentally-minded community associations and boards of directors. “By reducing the amount of energy needed, we reduce the amount of energy generated, so the carbon footprint shrinks,” says Chiara Mescolin, director of operations with Nularis Inc., a Los Angeles-based light distributor and contractor. 

The greater energy efficiency isn’t the only way LEDs are more “green” than traditional lighting. “LED is available in turtle- and wildlife-friendly frequencies that don’t disturb the lifecycles and breeding seasons,” Porcella explains. Associations in some coastal areas may be subject to regulations that require such frequencies.

And LEDs generate less heat than traditional bulbs. Why does this matter? For a couple of reasons. “The hotter it gets, the faster the lumens [or degrees of brightness] depreciate,” Porcella says. The amount of heat also can affect the extent of insects, which are attracted to light and heat.

To learn about the most common hurdle to upgrading to LED lighting, why it actually may not be much of a hurdle, and some tips when making the change to LED, read our new article: Let There Be Light: Outdoor LEDs Can Help the Bottom Line.

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President