2021 is dawning bright, shiny, and definitely new, post-corona hopefully. Incandescents have now been effectively phased-out nationwide, and as the past dims alongside your dusty old bulbs, it’s also time for a change in your home: Upgrade to LEDs.
A brighter future When You Upgrade to LEDs
Using 75 percent less energy and lasting 25 times longer than traditional incandescents, LEDs beat out CFLs for efficiency by a long shot. Reducing maintenance needs courtesy of longer lifespans to deliver great bang for the buck, LEDs also beat out their spiral-shaped CFL brethren in user friendliness: They contain none of the CFLs health and environmentally damaging mercury, holding a durability that’s second-to-none to outperform in harsh temperatures of either extreme.
Big improvements
When initially released, LEDs emitted a harsh blue light that was a turnoff for many consumers. However now improved color “temperatures” are available, measured in Kelvin (K) and delivering improved ambiance. Grab a daylight-mimicking bulb in the 5,500-6,500K range, keep things cool and bright at 4,100K, go neutral at 3,500K, or warm things up with color temperatures in the 2,700-3,000K range, finding the brightness you need on updated product packaging with lumens rather than wattage measurements:
- 75 watts = 1,100 lumens
- 60 watts = 800 lumens
- 40 watts = 450 lumens
- 25 watts = 200 lumens
Times are a-changing – and prices are a-dropping
Though LEDs have offered years of lasting glow at unbelievable efficiencies, their initial pricing left many consumers in the dark. Fortunately times have rapidly changed, dropping the sought-after tech drastically in price to levels on par with other affordable lighting solutions. Local box stores now offer multi-packs of LED bulbs at a mere $2.50 – or less – per bulb. At those prices, making the switch to LEDs is finally an easy decision.
A “smart” choice
For a little extra green, you also can go the “smart” LED route, programming and operating your bulbs (and their added enhancements) via Wi-Fi from your smartphone, mobile device, or as part of your home automation system. Starter packs typically include 2 or 3 bulbs, and run from under $80 to over $200, depending on features: Dimming, color changing, motion sensors, scheduling capabilities, built-in cameras, speakers, Wi-Fi boosters, and more.
This year’s top-selling LED solutions include…
- Cree Soft White 60W Equivalent ($5+)
A premiere LED bulb manufacturers, the Cree bulb costs less than $5 per bulb, is hyper-efficient, backed by a 5-year warranty, and is fully compatible with dimming switches, offering a combination no equivalent standard LED bulb can touch. - MiPow’s Playbulb Rainbow ($38+)
Doubling as a smart and color-changing LED bulb, this unique bulb offers over 16 million colors (and time lapse settings) via your Android or iOS-driven color wheel choice. Utilizing Bluetooth 4.0 over Wi-Fi, it can operate free of your smart home ecosystem. - C by GE Starter Pack ($70+)
Also Bluetooth-compatible, “C by GE” starter packs include two “C-Life” and two “C-Sleep” LED bulbs, controllable by iOS or Android app capable of running independently of smart home hubs or ecosystems. Separate light settings for the morning, afternoon, and night: Wake up to bright 7,000K light, and doze off to a soft, warm 2,000K. - Phillips Hue Family ($80+)
Best for complete smart home illuminative control, The Hue Starter Kit includes the Hue bridge hub, as well as two standard white LED Hue bulbs for $80, pairing seamlessly with other Philips offerings from light strips to colored bulbs, and allowing you to control up to a mind-blowing 50 Hue lights at once via Android or iOS app.
This New Year, the sky’s the limit when it comes to lighting technology. Light up when you Upgrade Your LEDs.
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