LED Bulbs vs Fluorescent Bulbs

  • Wednesday, 25th September, 2019

Technological innovations have made it possible to light our homes with brighter, as well as more cost-efficient lighting. The standard lightbulb has now become antique. Today, Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs are economical solutions. But which one is better?

Lighting accounts for approximately 10% of electricity usage in Australian households. The most common types of lighting are CFL and LED bulbs. What is the difference between these two, and is one better than the other? Let’s take a look.

Three questions come to mind when it comes to lighting:

  • Which bulb emits more light?
  • Which bulb lasts the longest?
  • Which bulb is least expensive?

Brightness between LED and CFL bulbs

When it comes to the brightness or the amount of light emitted by LED and CFL bulbs, there isn’t any visible difference. The brightness of bulbs is measured by the number of lumens. Today, bulb manufacturers provide information on the lumens and watts on every bulb.

The greater the number of lumens, the brighter a bulb. While LED and CFL bulbs might have the same lumen (brightness), the amount of energy they need to generate that much of brightness differs. A few years ago, CFL lights could outperform an LED because it could cover a much broader area. But the LED lighting had the upper hand when it came to recessed lighting. Today, however, the new LED lights that are available are far better than CFLs and consume much less energy as well.

To compare the efficiency of bulbs, one requires to understand the lumens and not the watts. The greater the lumens, the brighter the light. Today, a 400-500 brightness produced by an LED bulb would require 6 to 7 watts to produce that brightness, while a CFL would require 8-12 watts to produce that same brightness.

A bulb with a greater lumen and lower wattage is the best buy. Not only will it be brighter but also more cost-effective.

The lifespan of LED and CFL bulbs

LED bulbs have a very long lifespan when compared to CFL bulbs. A single bulb can last for as long as 25,000 hours. No other type of bulb comes anywhere close to this lifespan. Although CFL bulbs don’t last as long as LED bulbs, they have a lifespan that is significantly longer than the old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.

The average lifespan of an incandescent bulb is 1,200 hours, a CFL bulb is 8,000 hours, and an LED bulb is 25,000 hours.

Cost-effectiveness of LED and CFL bulbs

The average cost of a 14W CFL bulb is $2 and have a lifespan of about 8,000 hours, while a 7W LED bulb would cost $4 or less but would last 25,000 hours. So, on average, it would take three CFL bulbs to run for 25000 hours, but only one LED bulb to last for that same period.

Over 20 years, the purchase price of bulbs would be $6 for CFL and $4 for LED bulbs.

The estimated cost over 20 years would be $54 for CFL bulbs and $34 for LED bulbs.

Conservergy provides energy-saving and cost-saving LED lighting solutions for homes and businesses. Conservergy helps protect the environment through its lighting solutions. Its LED lighting solutions is one of its major environment-friendly solutions.

The verdict

Today’s LED bulbs are far better than the CFL bulbs available today. While both are equally bright, LED bulbs conserve more energy and are therefore less expensive, and they last much longer than CFL bulbs.

Conservergy provides retail, commercial and home LED lighting solutions. To find out more about Conservergy’s energy saving solutions, contact us.

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