Replacing just 5 incandescent light bulbs with LEDs can save $60 or more per year in electricity costs!  Upgrading to LEDs is one of the easiest ways to save energy and money. 

LED stands for light emitting diode. LED lighting products produce light approximately 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. 

The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation’, wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent.

How is LED lighting different than other light sources, such as incandescent and Compact Fluorescent (CFLs)?

• LED lighting differs from incandescent and fluorescent in several ways. When designed well, LED lighting is more efficient, versatile, and lasts longer.
• LEDs are “directional” light sources, which means they emit light in a specific direction, unlike incandescent and CFL, which emit light and heat in all directions. That means LEDs are able to use light and energy more efficiently in a multitude of applications. 
• Common LED colors include amber, red, green, and blue. To produce white light, different color LEDs are combined or covered with a phosphor material that converts the color of the light to a familiar “white” light used in homes. Phosphor is a yellowish material that covers some LEDs. Colored LEDs are widely used as signal lights and indicator lights, like the power button on a computer.

Light color is measured on a temperature scale in Kelvins (K) from 2700K to 6500K, and the lower the Kelvin number the more yellow the light. Likewise, the higher the Kelvin number, the more white or blue.Most ENERGY STAR labeled from about 2700K to 3000K. Many stores now carry a variety of color ranges so you can find the right temperature for the rooms in your house.

Check out ENERGY STAR's Color Temperature Chart to see the differences in temperatures.

For almost half the year, Park City is decorated in decorative light strings, more commonly called Christmas lights. Added all up, these string lights use a lot of electricity. In fact, if all decorative light strings sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save over 2 billion kWh per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to nearly 300,000 cars. Newer and more efficient string lights use LED technology, which consume 75% less energy than older incandescent string lights. Additionally, LED string lights have a number of other benefits like:

• They can last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent strands.
• They are cool to the touch, reducing the risk of fire.
• They do not have moving parts, filaments or glass, so they are much more durable and shock-resistant than other light strings.

You can find these LED string lights anywhere that sells decorative string lights. They come in all the traditional colors, shapes and sizes and are used in exactly the same manor as your old set of string lights. Make sure they are ENERGY STAR labeled to guarantee the energy savings.