When it comes to lighting your Florida home, LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs are now the standard for a sustainable future, replacing traditional incandescent bulbs for home lighting options. Lighting choice is also one of the many important details to consider during a new home construction or remodel.
“Today’s lighting trends are influenced by emphasizing personal technology and unique individualism,” says trends expert Daniel Levine for Rockethomes.com, “Specifically, this is translating into the incremental growth of smart LED lighting.”
Courtesy of Houselogic.com, here are a few of the reasons:
LEDs and Why They Are Now The Sustainable Choice:
Use 80% less electricity than traditional incandescent lighting and 20% less than compact fluorescents, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy making them more sustainable.
Last up to 25 years.
Contain no mercury and have a much smaller environmental impact compared to other bulbs that are not considered sustainable.
Provide superior light quality that’s pleasing to the eye.
Work great with new digital lighting control technologies.
FLUCTUATING PRICES FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING
As more and more people discover the versatility and convenience of LED lighting, that means supplies are increasing and prices are dropping. Just a few years ago when halogens and compact fluorescent lights starting to worm their way into our lighting budgets, LED bulb prices were as high as $30 per bulb for a 60-watt incandescent equivalent. Nowadays, however, prices have dropped to around $10 per bulb, with energy (and cost) savings of about three years.
With the price drop is the added bonus of increased efficiency. Right now, a screw-in LED bulb with a 60-watt incandescent equivalent consumes about 13 watts, but 5-watt LEDs are on the horizon that’ll slash payback periods to little more than one year.
LED CARPETS AND WALLS? YES!
The versatility of sustainable LED lighting is growing as well. The lights can be made so small that some are no bigger than the point of a pencil, which opens up a world of lighting options! For example, hundreds of tiny LEDs can be embedded in sheets of drywall to create walls and ceilings that glow. Philips and carpet manufacturers like Desso have wasted no time utilizing this technology, having already teamed up to create light-transmissive carpets. Add some motion sensors, and we’ll have hallways that light up as we approach and fade away behind us — putting light where we need it and turning it off where we don’t, thereby saving energy, cost, and you guessed, helping us be more sustainable. With Smart Home technology, homeowners can control all functions from their devices as well.
LED IS PERFECT FOR OUTSIDE LIGHTING OPTIONS
LED lights are showing up in outside décor of Florida homes. Orlando-based Illuminations USA is one of a growing number of companies that uses only LED and low-voltage lighting to create efficient, expertly-lit areas for both entertaining and security outside. LED lights make a distinctive difference in the color of your garden, providing a brighter light level and more refined focus.
Experts predict that fixtures will change and have more freedom as time goes on. They’re not going to be bound by metal bases and screw-in bulbs. Says Levine, “In addition to seeing more light setups that are personalized by their owners for color and intensity, we are seeing an emphasis on zone lighting and one-of-a-kind fixtures that speak to a homeowner’s unique good taste and individuality.”
COLOR OPTIONS CAN BE COUNTLESS
One of the more creative aspects of LED lighting is the availability of colored bulbs. LED Lighting Systems.net shares that the entire RGB color spectrum can be utilized to create patterns of spectacular color. While offering an appealing variety of warm and cool hues, LEDs will also produce a highly efficient lighting display.
LIGHTING GOOD FOR THE MIND AND BODY
LED technology is increasingly being merged with scientifically based human-centric approaches to boost concentration and compliment sleeping patterns. Whatever color you’re feeling, it can now be reflected in your home lighting. Here’s to the future!
For LED and other lighting options that will work for your new home construction or remodel, count on the experts at J. Sweet Construction for an experienced view, with honesty and integrity. Call us today at 239-325-5150.