LED lighting has been a prevalent news topic in recent years among advocates of energy efficient alternatives.

There are many resources for information and statistics about LED lighting and its much higher efficiency and lower energy costs than traditional lighting sources. While there are numerous benefits for switching to energy-efficient LED lighting, we have gathered the top four here to help you make the decision for your Tampa business.

Benefit #1: Longer Lifespan = Reduced maintenance

LED lamps have the potential of lasting up to 10 years with typical usage during business hours. Incandescent light bulbs, on the other hand, would only last about seventeen weeks if you used them during business hours. Running nonstop, they would last less than about six weeks. Florescent light bulbs can last longer – up to 142 weeks (just under three years) if run during the same hours per day. If run continuously, it would bring the lifespan down to around 47 weeks, equal to about 11 months.

Regardless of the lights being replaced, you know that long life saves money on multiple replacement bulbs and saves a ton of headache.

Benefit #2: Energy Efficiency = Lower Cost

In terms of efficiency, LED lighting is 80%-90% more efficient across the board when compared to traditional lighting. For example, incandescent lamps are only about 20% energy efficient, with up to 90% of its energy being emitted as heat instead of light. This ties back to the previous section where LEDs much higher efficiency ultimately leads to a much longer lifespan. Fluorescent bulbs fair a little better in efficiency compared to incandescent bulbs, but both of these lighting methods don’t come close to the efficiency that LED lighting provides. When it comes to keeping the lights on, LED lamps shine brighter, for longer, and much more efficiently.

Benefit #3: Environmentally Friendly = Reduced Carbon Footprint

LED lamps contain no toxic materials such as lead and mercury, and are 100% recyclable. You can reduce your carbon footprint [in City] by as much as a third by switching to LEDs. Florescent lamps, on the other hand, contain mercury, a toxic substance that is released if they break. This substance, if released from a broken lamp, not only increases your carbon footprint but can pollute air and water supplies and is ultimately toxic to the environment. They need to be disposed of in a special manner because of this. Incandescent bulbs aren’t much better; they contain hazardous levels of lead and leave a big carbon footprint. LED lamps are cleaner, non-toxic and are 100% recyclable, which is much more convenient than having to go through a special process of disposal each time one goes out.

Benefit #4: Lower Temperatures = Potential A/C Savings

LED lamps emit hardly any heat while turned on. In fact, they remain fairly cool to the touch when working which not only makes them more efficient, but also safer in a work environment. Conventional incandescent and florescent lamps waste as much as 90% of their energy on heat alone. That equates to as much as $90 of a $100 electric bill going toward heat instead of actual lighting. Because of the high heat emission from traditional lamps, A/C costs can actually be raised in order to compensate for the rise in temperature. Since LED lamps naturally emit little heat, you can actually save on cooling costs as well as energy costs.

These four benefits of LED lighting are meant to help your Tampa business in making the decision to switch to LED lighting. There are several more, but in order to provide a concise resource for lighting information we have determined these to be most important.

To find out more about how LED lighting can benefit your business, contact your local Tampa EEPros dealer and request a free energy audit from the form on the right!