The advantages of LED lights

"What kind of bulbs do you use in your home?"

It's not a common question, but it's one worth thinking about. The use of old-school incandescent bulbs in on the decline, and for good reason: they're simultaneously energy-inefficient, expensive, a bit dangerous, and delicate. In fact, most countries around the world have some plan in place to officially phase out the use of incandescent bulbs.If incandescent bulbs are out, though, what type of light bulb should you use? The answer is simple: LEDs.

There is a reason that there's a joke (or a thousand of them) about replacing light bulbs. If you use incandescent bulbs, you replace them — a lot. Once thought to be a replacement for the standard light bulb, halogen bulbs have a lifespan just barely longer than incandescent bulbs: around 2,000 to 4,000 hours compared to incandescent bulbs' 750 to 2,000 hours.

CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs, also considered an alternative, have a much longer lifespan at 10,000 to 20,000 hours.

But LED has them all beat: LED lights,have a lifespan of 25,000 to 50,000 hours.Depending on how much you use your bulb, you may never have to replace it.

Ever burn yourself on a light bulb? That's because incandescent bulbs can get hot — very hot. In fact, only 5% to 10% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb is converted into light; the reminder is lost as heat.
With an LED bulb, however, 90% of the energy used is converted into light. That means that only 10% is lost as heat — the complete opposite of an incandescent bulb.

Because LEDs generate much less heat than traditional incandescent bulbs, they can be smart — the technology can withstand the minuscule amount of heat created when the bulbs are used as recommended. Though originally thought to be only for techies and computer nerds, smart LED bulbs are growing in popularity for everyday homes.

If your home is still equipped with old-fashioned incandescent lights, then you're paying a lot for your light. Since LED bulbs need less wattage to shine the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, they use far less energy to light up the room.