LED's Can Make Your Holidays a Little Greener

Use LED's this holiday season Okay, for me, it’s still a little early to be talking about Christmas, but with Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. just next week, I have to admit that the holidays are just around the corner.

Everybody loves holiday lights to help bring the spirit of the season, but did you know that holiday lighting can generate as much greenhouse gas emissions as 250,000 cars? And most of that is simply waste, not adding any holiday cheer at all, since the typical mini and C-7 incandescent holiday lights used by many homeowners are only 10% efficient.

Wow, what a scrooge I am – Bah Humbug!

One option is to get creative and find ways to decorate for the holidays without using electricity, but darn it, it’s the holidays! Everyone loves the color and light that traditional holiday lighting brings to the festivities.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a scrooge.

LED Lighting to the Rescue

LED (or light emitting diode) uses semiconductor technology to convert a tiny amount of electricity into light. Using a scant 0.04 watt of electricity, they require significantly less energy than even the mini incandescent lights, and orders of magnitude less than the larger C-7 bulb.

The initial cost for the bulbs is higher, but the savings comes downstream in energy savings and longevity. A typical LED bulb will last up to 100,000 hours or more – that’s ten years of continuous use. That’s a lot of holiday seasons.

LED’s also burn much cooler (I’ve got my hand on one right now that’s been lit for over an hour and it is just a little bit warm), and they’re much more durable and less likely to break than incandescents.

So if you’re looking for ways to celebrate the holidays without leaving a big carbon footprint in the snow, consider using LED’s for your holiday lighting.

Sources and Further Reading:
Union of Concerned Scientists
Cordova Times

Photo courtesy of the Union of Concerned Scientists