HOW TO CHOOSE AN LED LIGHT BULB

After years of work, LED light bulbs have finally become good replacement for the

common 60-watt incandescent bulb.

For the consumer, the main benefits of LED fixtures are clear: they’re energy efficient,

can last for more than 20 years and, in many cases, give off good light. The prices have

gone down steadily as well as the LED components have dropped in price and

lighting companies introduce better designs.

A number of companies are producing all-purpose LED bulbs with a full range of brightness. How do you choose among

them? Here's a few pointers.

Light quality: Consumers are accustomed to measuring brightness in terms of wattage, but that’s fading away. In the last few months, lighting manufacturers have produced LED lamps that give off about 1,600 lumens, or the same as a 100-watt incandescent.

Light color: There's usually two options when selecting a bulb. There's either a cooler white light at 3,000 Kelvin or a warmer, yellow light at 2,700 Kelvin, which is more like an incandescent.

One feature of LEDs is that the light can be adjusted to the full spectrum of colors, which opens up some new possibilities.

Function: LEDs excel at giving off light in one direction, which makes them a very good choice for overhead or spot lights. There are now also designs for omni-directional light, meaning they can be used for table lamps, for instance.

Many LEDs are dimmable as well, but check packaging to be sure.

Price: Because they use less energy, LEDs will save money over incandescent, halogens, and, because they last longer, than compact florescent bulbs, too. The new Lighting Facts label now used on consumer lighting gives a lifetime energy savings estimate, which can be over $100.

One of the biggest advantages of switching your bulbs to LEDs is their long life. Some are rated at 25,000 hours, which could be around 25 years depending on how much

they’re used. Technological breakthroughs are creating LEDs

with lower-cost materials (like silicon verses sapphire) to make

them last as long but be less expensive.

Find out more about our Caribbean LED program and other resources

on LEDs. Visit us atwww.reelcaribbeanenergy.com