We are quite often asked “Why should we switch to LED?” Four or five years ago, this was a legitimate question as the technology was still in it’s infant stages. Today the reasons for moving to LED are many.
#1 DURABILIBY
LED bulbs are made to withstand the elements, not to mention being dropped, tossed or even run over.
#2 LONGEVITY
The verdict is still out with regard to the lifespan of LED lights–most are rated anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 hours. As of yet no LED Christmas bulb has seen that many hours to test these limits. However, unlike the incandescent counterparts, LED bulbs are showing a longer lifespans by the simple fact that their plastic housing doesn’t break (unless hit with a hammer), the LED technology doesn’t “burn out”, also they run cool which eliminates a fire hazard (which should never be understated) and keeps the colors looking brilliant for the life of the bulb.
#3 ENERGY EFFICIENCY
LED bulbs were initially marketed to prove a HUGE improvement on energy costs. This is true if you are running a “Christmas Show Down” type display. Most residents won’t see a significant energy savings because they didn’t really feel a pinch on their energy bills to begin with. However, because they are using less energy you can run more lights on one socket and not have to run multiple extension cords to different outlets and breakers. In the end this leads to a cleaner look and cut.
#4 COLOR
Not many years ago most people had very valid concerns about color and brightness of LED lights. My how technology changes quickly! Remember the old “pure white” LED Christmas lights that looked more blue and sort of looked like they were vibrating when you looked at them? YUCK! The 3 biggest obstacles to getting the market to accept LED lights were the color, brightness and wave form rectification. With commercial grade high quality LED lights all of these problems have been solved. Warm white now closely resembles a traditional incandescent clear bulb with it’s warmth. LED reds, greens, and blues are deep and rich (and don’t fade away like the paint on a hot incandescent bulb). Even the pure white LED lights are very clear and truly a pure chilly white. The flicker of the early LED lights has also been rectified in commercial grade strands that now have rectifiers built in to convert the AC current to a DC current.