subject: Energy Efficiency Strategy [print this page] Spurred by the desire to do their bit to save the planet and to save on electricity bills in the bargain- home owners, business leaders, city planners and legislators are all increasingly choosing to invest wisely in green technologies.
In 2007, the city of Raleigh was pondering whether they should go for LED street lights. The costs were significant and they could not afford to go wrong. On the one hand were handsome savings in energy bills and on the other were the qualms associated with a new technology. Planners at Raeligh found a simple way out of the quandary. They installed LED lights in a parking deck. They were rewarded with 40% savings in energy bills. The high CRI of these modern lights meant that they were greatly appreciated by users who reported a 300% increase in feelings of safety.
For home users there is an additional problem. Not only must the lights make a convincing economic rationale, home users need lights that are aesthetically pleasing both when in use and when switched off. CFLs are anything but pretty. The light that they produce is also cold and uninviting. On the other hand LED lights come in some of the most pleasing designs. The light quality is excellent and energy bills are half those of fluorescent lights and up to 10 times less than incandescent bulbs. No wonder that these lights have come to symbolize progressive home owners.
Skeptics still choose to question the rise in popularity of Led lighting technology but forget one moot point. When the incandescent bulb was introduced by Edison, skeptics chose to pillory it and look the other way. What they got in return was ever enduring loss of face. Today the LED stands where incandescent bulb stood 100 years ago. Fast moving corporations are making their choices today. Market leaders like Wal-Mart and Starbucks have a clear strategy to take advantage of the low costs of modern lighting technology.
The right strategy for home owners
Home owners can resort to a simple evaluation strategy. In these days of e-commerce, It is a simple matter to order an LED light online. Once you receive it you can evaluate its features, light output and aesthetics first hand. Watt meters can help determine energy consumption and a simple calculation will reveal how much money it can help you save over its lifetime. For a light that is in operation for eight hours the savings are sufficient to pay for the bulb in a little over a year. There is a caveat though - If you use the bulb in an air conditioned room, do not forget to facto in the savings arising from the lower heat load of these super efficient bulbs.
Once you are convinced of the aesthetics and economic rationale it is time to take advantage of bulk discounts and free shipping.
