How to tell the size of the LED globe bulb you want to replace: The number following the G designation relates to the bulb’s diameter in an unusual way. It represents the number of eights of an inch (1/8”) that compromise the diameter of the bulb. For instance, a G25 LED bulb measures 3-1/8 inches in diameter (25/8 = 3.125). Or a G16 LED bulb measures 2 inches in diameter (16/8 = 2). This is a useful tip when the bulb you are trying to replace doesn’t have markings indicating what size of globe bulb it is.
Why choose a more expensive LED replacement bulb over buying another regular incandescent bulb? There are a number of different ways to look at the subject but the number one reason for most people is their bottom line. Simply stated, LED light bulbs save you money over the long run when both energy and replacement costs are considered. Consider that a standard incandescent bulb typically lasts about 1,000 hours and a LED light bulb lasts upwards of 35,000 to 50,000 hours. That means you’ll be buying 35 to 50 regular bulbs when one LED bulb will do the trick. And even though a regular incandescent bulb is fairly cheap those costs add up over time. Now consider that most LED light bulbs consume almost 80% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb. As an example, if your old bulb normally costs you ten dollars to operate a year an LED replacement bulb might only cost you two or three dollars to run for an equal amount of time.
Are you concerned about the environment? Using less energy is a great thing. Approximately 25% of electricity consumed by a household is due to lighting, and that number jumps to 60% for the commercial sector. That figure not only affects your bottom line but also contributes to wider environmental issues. The number of required power plants necessary to generate enough energy to power a growing population means more emissions and pollution, more natural resources being consumed at a faster rate and more waste to be disposed of. Not to mention that throwing away millions of incandescent bulbs a year serves no purpose but to fill up our landfills.
Longer life, less energy, environmentally friendly lighting. Compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs helped us to get halfway there by reducing energy consumption and improving bulb lifespan, but still suffer from several drawbacks. Trace amounts of mercury mean CFL bulbs can’t be thrown away but must be disposed of properly. Delayed turn on, warm up periods and the occasional burn out explosion (leaving you to clean up the aforementioned mercury) all point to CFL bulbs being a stop gap technology in light bulb advancement. LED light bulbs consume less energy than CFL bulbs, turn on instantly like a standard incandescent, are manufactured with no harmful environmental elements and produce no UV or IR radiation. |
