We owe it to the beautiful planet we live on to protect it at all costs. This means doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. If you have concerns about greenhouse gases, our team at LED One has some advice to help you better understand the environmental benefits of using LED lighting.
What is Your Carbon Footprint?
Before we discuss how LED lighting can help reduce your carbon footprint, we must first understand what your carbon footprint is. Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases you use or produce. This includes CO2, methane, or ozone production.
Your primary carbon footprint measures CO2 emissions directly from an activity, organizations, and businesses. Your secondary carbon footprint measures the CO2 emissions indirectly. It calculates emissions through the life of the product you use. This includes things such as mining raw materials to create the initial product.
1. LED Lights Save Electricity
Did you know that half of the carbon emissions created are generated from the production of electricity? Lighting, both residential and commercial, creates 17% of carbon emissions. Every 1KW of electricity generates 830 grams of carbon equivalents.
By using LED lighting, we have been able to reduce carbon emissions by over 570 million tons! That is the equivalent of shutting down 162 coal-fired power plants. There are many reasons why this is possible. The main reason being the numerous benefits LED lights will provide over traditional incandescent lights.
2. Replace Incandescent Lights with LED Lights
LED lights require far less energy than incandescent lights yet they still provide a brighter light source. An LED light bulb uses only six watts per hour compared to the 50 watts incandescent light bulbs use. By using LED lights, we save six tons of household emissions per year.
On top of that, LED light bulbs also last far longer than their incandescent counterparts. Each LED light bulb will provide around 50,000 hours of service, giving it a 10-year life expectancy. Incandescent bulbs only have a life expectancy of 1,200 hours. While you may be paying more for LED bulbs upfront, you will be saving on replacements in the long run.
3. LED Manufacturing
LED light bulbs are not just environmentally friendly during their use, but also in manufacturing, transport, and disposal. Traditional light bulbs pose a significant threat to the environment when disposed of in a landfill. This is because of the byproducts created by the aluminum heat sink at the end of the bulb.
This heat sink gives off sulfuric acid, which is dangerous in an uncontrolled environment, such as a landfill. Many times, businesses need permits and special hazmat suits to properly dispose of traditional lights. When disposed of properly, LEDs are significantly safer for the environment than CFLs.
You Can Also Save Money
In case you needed an added incentive to make the switch over to LED lights, you stand to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars by switching over to LED lights. Many people think LED lighting is a more expensive option because it costs more upfront. While this may be true, it stands to save you far more money down the line.
This is because, first and foremost, LED lighting uses far less energy than traditional lighting methods. This means you will be spending far less on your monthly energy bill than you would be with traditional lighting. Furthermore, a LED light bulb can last up to 10 years on average, meaning you don’t have to pay for replacement bulbs every couple of months. Think of LED lights as long-term investments.
Call Now
If you have any questions about the environmental benefits of LED bulbs, give our team at LED One Distribution a call. We are more than happy to help you reduce your carbon footprint. We look forward to working with you.