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{"id":728,"date":"2021-06-11T15:38:53","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T15:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carbonswitch-cms.site\/?p=728"},"modified":"2022-03-09T00:00:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T00:00:51","slug":"led-savings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carbonswitch-cms.site\/led-savings","title":{"rendered":"How Much Can You Save by Switching to LED Lighting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this article we’ll help you estimate how much you can save by switching from incandescent or CFL lights to LEDs. To learn how to choose LEDs or decide if they are right for your home, check out our LED lighting<\/a> buyer’s guide. And if you’re unsure if LEDs will be the right color, check out our LED color and temperature guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for now, let’s chat dollars and cents and answer one question: how much can you save with LEDs? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to calculate the energy and cost savings of LED lights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The average home with incandescent bulbs uses about 2,000 kWh of electricity per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the national average of $0.10 per kWh, these homeowners spend $215 a year on lighting. By switching to LEDs, you can save around $4,000 over 20 years (the typical lifespan of an LED). As far as energy efficiency projects go, that’s a lot! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put that in perspective, consider that switching to a heat pump water heater<\/a> (another great savings opportunity) will save you about $200 per year and $5,000 over its 15-20 year lifespan. And switching to a heat pump<\/a> (for heating and cooling), can save you as much as $1,000 per year and $15-20k over its lifespan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to calculate exactly how much you\u2019ll save, you need to base it on everything from your location to how big your house is to what kinds of lights you\u2019re currently using. Here, we\u2019ll walk through some averages and calculations to help you get a more realistic number for your personal use case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy use of light bulbs across the U.S.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you can see in the map below, the number of bulbs per house varies depending on where you live. Across the United States, the average number of light bulbs per house ranges from about 50 to 80, according to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"light<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if your home is bigger than the national average\u2014about 2,000 square feet\u2014then you\u2019ll likely have more bulbs. And vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you want an exact figure, you can count how many bulbs are in your house. But if you\u2019re way over or under the average, it might be time for a lighting redesign to get you closer to what most people are using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy use of light bulbs in each room of the house<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next factor to consider is how much you use your lights. Here\u2019s a chart with all the data you need to make a good estimate of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note: in the image, HOU stands for hours of use.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, most homeowners use their lights between 1 and 3 hours per day on average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to calculate your potential savings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People talk about electricity in the home in terms of kilowatt hours (kWh); as in, the average home uses 10,000 kWh of electricity per year. But if you look at a light bulb package, you\u2019ll notice it gives you the energy used in watts (e.g., a 60W bulb). So how do you turn watts into kilowatt hours?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use the following equation to calculate the energy used by lighting in your home:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re like me, math might not be your forte. So let\u2019s go over an example to show how that equation works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n