Blog – LED How To Articles

We all know that we can enjoy energy savings with LEDs, but just how will this impact my electric bill? 

One of our favourite Christmas traditions is to tour Carson City in the evening to behold all of the beautiful holiday decorations. Some are as subtle as a front door wreath and a bit of garland, and others are totally spectacular. Many people think that either Reno or Las Vegas is the Nevada State Capitol, but it is right here in the heart of the Sierras in Carson City. Photo at left is the Governor’s Mansion and it is not to be outdone when it comes to holiday decorations. You can only imagine just how many lights are burning in the ornate 22 rooms or in the outdoor theatre. It’s a safe bet this month’s electric bill will be considerably higher than other months. Most of us don’t have homes of this scope and size, but let’s take a few moments to consider just how much energy we can save by changing over to LED light bulbs. Here is a simple ‘how to’. First, count the number of light bulbs you have in your home. You may be surprised at how many there are. Don’t forget to count table lamps, porch lights and lights in the garage. Let’s make an assumption for simplicity sake of 100 60 watt light bulbs. There are actually more than 100 light bulbs in my home, and some of them are more than 60-watt equivalent. Next, pull out last month’s electric bill. You are looking for your total cost per kilowatt hour. This information will be different from place to place. Rates may be higher or lower. This is the current rate schedule for residential property in Carson City NV as of December 8, 2014. Total cost per KWH is $0.0998 plus a 5% surcharge for a total of $0.10479. Next, take 100 60 W bulbs used 8 hours per day, 365 days per year, or 29,200 hours times 60 watts = 1,752,000 watts. Divide that by 1000. That is the number of kilowatt hours the electric company will charge me for – 1,752 KW. Multiply that by the KWH charge listed above ($0.10479) = $183.59.

Now, let’s replace them with this 10.5W power consumption, 60W equivalent LED light bulb. All of the multipliers are the same, except for the watts. 100 10.5W bulbs times 29,200 hours = 306,600 watts divided by 1000 = 306.6 KW x ($0.10479) = $32.13. Savings = $151.46 or 82.51% … and, this LED light bulb has a life expectancy of 20,000 hours. If you were to burn one LED light bulb 8 hours per day, 365 days per year, that’s 2920 hours or 6.8 years before you’ll have to think of replacing them. My home has been the ‘test kitchen’ for many new LED products over the years and there are LED bulbs still burning strong here which were installed 14 years ago. We also have 12VDC LED light bulbs and other 12VDC light fixtures for those of you who are seriously conserving with solar panels. After you’ve paid for your solar power station, electricity is virtually free for you. Low power consumption LED light bulbs and fixtures will help your battery bank to last far longer. Light bulbs are just a part of the energy consumed in your home. Do you have incandescent or fluorescent under cabinet lighting? How about halogen pucks or track lights? Is there landscape lighting or security floodlights? What about soffit lighting or cove lighting? Do you operate a business? Is there outdoor signage? Lights that burn 24/7? How much is your maintenance cost for replacing bulbs and T8 tubes every year? Where there is light, there is a LED solution, and we’re here to help you find those solutions. You can also visit your power company’s website where you will likely find lots of energy saving tips concerning heating, cooling, insulation and appliances. All of us at TheLEDLight.com wish you the very best of the coming year and look forward to helping you to save. If your travels take you to Nevada, please stop in to see us. Carson City is a great place to visit. You’ll enjoy the beautiful scenery, historic environment, friendly people and we’d so like to meet you.

By: Mary Wecker