The Importance of Lighting in Your New Bryan-College Station Home
When you are building a new home in Bryan-College Station, choosing light bulbs may be the last thing on your mind. After all, there are so many exciting design choices to make, milestones to look forward to, and a big move to plan!
But while the topic of light bulbs may not be top-of-mind, the type of light bulbs you choose for your new Bryan-College Station home can have an important impact on energy efficiency and ambience. There are several advantages to choosing LED bulbs, despite their higher upfront cost.
Energy Efficiency
One of the most striking advantages of using LED light bulbs is increased energy efficiency when compared to traditional incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lights. The Consumer Energy Alliance reports that LED bulbs are 90 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs and 80 percent more efficient than fluorescent bulbs.
Incandescent bulbs produce light using electricity to heat a metal filament until it becomes “white” hot or is said to incandesce. As a result, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat.
The increased energy efficiency of LED bulbs translates into savings on your energy costs. According to estimates by the Consumer Federation of America, an average household with 20 lights could save more than $1,000 over the course of 10 years by substituting LED bulbs for traditional alternatives.
They Last Longer, Too!
Traditional light bulbs burn out and stop working altogether. LED bulbs are a little different. Rather than suddenly burning out, the brightness of an LED bulb slowly dims over time. When estimating the lifetime of an LED bulb, experts use a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent.
The US Department of Energy estimates that LED bulbs last about 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs. Statistics on their website suggest that if an LED bulb is on for eight hours a day, the bulb will last for around 20 years!
A Better Choice for Safety
Traditional light bulbs are made from glass. More than likely everyone over a certain age has experienced trying to replace an incandescent bulb just to have it slip, land on the floor and shatter into a thousand pieces. LED bulbs generally are not made of glass, so they are a lot more durable. LED bulbs are typically made from epoxy lenses, which are more resistant to breakage.
More Environmentally Friendly
Unlike fluorescent lights, which can contain mercury and other harmful chemicals, the inner workings of LED bulbs are non-toxic. LED bulbs also do not emit any infrared or ultraviolet rays, so they stay cool to the touch.
LED Bulbs are More Focused
What does that mean? LEDs are “directional” light sources, which means they emit light in a specific direction. Incandescent and CFL bulbs emit light and heat in all directions. That means LEDs can use light and energy more efficiently. LED bulbs are a better choice for recessed ceiling lights as well as for task lights in a kitchen or office.
Color My World . . . with Light!
One of the most appealing things about LED bulbs is that they can change colors. Some LED bulbs can be adjusted to any shade of white – cool, neutral, or warm. Others can be set to any color in the entire color spectrum. Common LED colors include amber, red, green, and blue. To produce white light, different color LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are combined or covered with a phosphor material that converts the color of the light to a familiar “white” light used in homes.
Not So Bright . . .
Have a room where you would like to be able to dim the lights at times? LED bulbs are an excellent choice. Many LED light bulbs are compatible with dimmers. Even better, some of them can be dimmed to as little as 1 percent of light output. Fluorescent bulbs, on the other hand, can only be dimmed by 30 percent.
They Can Withstand Motion
Something that can shorten the lifespan of a traditional light bulb is being turned on and off too frequently – think about a light used in a motion sensor, for example. This type of frequent “on and off” is called rapid cycling. While rapid cycling has an impact on the longevity of incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs are not affected by it and will still last more than ten years.
Take it a Step Further – Choose Energy Star
Hopefully, we’ve made a compelling argument in favor of choosing LED light bulbs for most applications. To get the most out of your LED bulbs, check for those that are Energy Star certified.
There are more lighting options available today than ever before. Despite that, Energy Star is still the simple choice to save on your utility bills.
LED bulbs that have earned the Energy Star are subject to specific requirements designed to replicate the experience you are used to with a standard bulb—so they can be used for a wide variety of applications. A general-purpose LED bulb that does not qualify for the Energy Star may not distribute light everywhere and could prove to be a disappointment if used in a table lamp.
The Energy Star designation means high quality and performance, particularly in the following areas:
• Color Quality
• 5 different requirements for color to ensure quality up front and over time
• Light Output
• Light output minimums to ensure you get enough light
• Light distribution requirements to ensure the light goes where you need it
• Guidelines for equivalency claims to take the guess-work out of replacement
• Peace of mind
• Verified compliance with more than 20 requirements to address performance and labeling
• Long-term testing to back up lifetime claims
• Testing to stress the products in operating environments similar to how you will use the product in your home
• 3-year minimum warranty requirement
And as with all Energy Star products, certified LED bulbs are subject to random testing every year to ensure they continue to meet the Energy Star requirements.
RNL Homes are Energy Efficient AND Beautiful!
RNL Homes include several features aimed at giving you maximum energy efficiency. Choosing LED light bulbs for your home complements these efforts and stretches your energy dollars even further.
Small in size, LEDs provide unique design opportunities. Some LED bulb solutions may physically resemble familiar light bulbs and better match the appearance of traditional light bulbs. Given the flexibility you get with LED bulbs, they can also complement the light fixtures our in-house design expert, Nora, will help you choose.
Schedule a Tour or Ask Us a Question
With the safety of both our customers and our team in mind, we are offering several different ways for you to tour our homes:
Virtually guided tour: Tour our model home with a virtual guide. Our sales professional will be there virtually via Google Home and a dedicated flat screen to guide you and answer any questions.
Live video tour: Explore our homes from the comfort of your couch. Our sales professional will walk you through our model home and answer your questions as you watch from your preferred smart device.
Our model homes are completely sanitized between each onsite visit.
To set up a tour with a virtual guide, call us at 979-977-5775 or email ariel@rnlhomes.com. To learn more about touring RNL Homes, watch this short video. We look forward to meeting you!
