How LED Lights Can Reduce Air Conditioning Costs This Summer.

We all know that LED lights save energy, help the planet, reduce electrical costs, and last a whole lot longer than incandescent bulbs (the Cree LR6 Downlight LED, for example, is rated to last up to 50,000 hours -- somewhere between 25 and 50 times the lifespan of an incandescent bulb). 

But they also have another benefit: they can help keep your house cool during the summer, and reduce your electrical bills (a second time around) by reducing your need for air conditioning. 

Here's why: incandescent bulbs expend about 90% of the energy they consume as waste heat -- meaning that of all the money you spend on your electric bill to pay to run your incandescent bulbs, 90% of it serves no purpose whatsoever, and can actually make you less comfortable in the warmer months. That sounds like pretty poor economics if you ask us. 

LEDs, on the other hand, consume very little energy in the first place, and they burn cool. This saves you money, and makes your house more comfortable. 

Check out the little experiment we ran a while back with an infrared camera, testing the temperature of recessed halogen, compact fluorescent (CFL), and LED lights in a typical kitchen. It was pretty illuminating.