Comparing Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
Comparing Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
You’ve probably seen some new and weird-looking kinds of light bulbs at your home improvement and hardware stores lately. Many of these bulbs are more expensive than the old standard light bulbs, but they claim to be more energy-efficient, so that should save you money in the long run. Or do they? Lets compare energy-saving light bulbs.
Energy-Saving Light Bulbs Save You in Two Ways
Newer bulbs like CFLs (compact fluorescent) and LEDs (light-emitting diode) save energy by needing less power (watts) to provide the same amount of light (lumens). The chart below shows the approximate difference in energy usage in an average year for the four most common types of household bulbs, assuming they provide the same amount of light (lumens).
Incandescent bulbs are the traditional, old style light bulbs and as you can see, are the least energy efficient and cost the most to run over the course of a year.
Please be aware that the bulbs pictured are just one type of bulb from each category. Halogen, CFL and LED bulbs come in a wide variety of shapes and styles. Consult the packaging to determine what type of bulb you have.
The newer energy-saving light bulbs also last longer, so even though they may cost more to purchase, you won’t need to buy them as often. How much longer can you expect them to last? Here’s another comparison chart.
These stats came from Energy.gov.
Lifetime Cost of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
Now let’s do some calculations and see how much LED bulbs (the most efficient) can save you over the cost of buying standard incandescents. I searched through Lowe’s website to find an LED bulb and an incandescent bulb that were roughly equivalent.
I will be comparing an incandescent 3-way bulb that provides between 305 – 1300 lumens, and an LED bulb that provides 350 – 1250 lumens. The incandescent is 100 watts, the LED is 13 watts, but they provide similar light.
Bulb cost to purchase:
Incandescent bulb: $2.00
LED bulb: $10.00
The incandescent is rated to last 1.1 years at 3 hours per day. The LED is rated to last 13 years at the same 3 hours per day. Let’s assume you have a lamp that you use for 3 hours a day over the course of 13 years. You would use one LED bulb which would cost $10.00.
Alternatively, 13 years divided by 1.1 years means you’d go through about 12 incandescent bulbs over that same time. Which would cost you 12 X $2.00 = $24.00.
But that’s just the cost of the bulbs. Let’s look at the electricity cost as well. The incandescent bulb is rated to cost $12.05 annually to run for three hours a day for one year. So over the course of 13 years, it would cost about $157.00 for the energy to power that lamp with incandescent bulbs.
The LED bulb does not list exactly how much it costs to power it, but says that it “saves 143 dollars on energy costs per bulb vs. 100-Watt incandescent over the bulb’s life.” So presumably the LED costs about $14.00 to power over the course of its life (13 years), since that’s $143 less than the $157 calculated above.
(This is slightly less than I would have assumed based on 13 Watts vs 100 Watts. That’s a fraction equal to 0.13, and 0.13 X $157.00 = about $20.00. Regardless of which one is more accurate, you save quite a bit on energy.)
Conclusion
Over the course of 13 years, to power a lamp using incandescent bulbs will cost you $24.00 (12 bulbs) + $157.00 (power) = $181.00.
To power the same lamp for 13 years with an LED bulb will cost you $10.00 (1 bulb) + $14.00 (power) = $24.00.
Total cost savings over 13 years: $157.00
That’s just one lamp! Imagine if you replaced all your lights with LED. You start to get an idea of how significant the cost difference really is. And if you are reading this blog, you are also probably interested in saving energy for the sake of climate change and the environment, and energy-saving light bulbs are great for that as well!
Related: Can I Recycle Light Bulbs?
