Here’s how to tell which ones are the best – and the 5 places you should install them to use the least amount of energy and save the most money on your energy bill. And if you don’t have any bulbs, don’t worry.

Taking the Energy Star Pledge enters you into a giveaway for a terrific package of ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED LED Bulbs worth $50 (see more below).

Look for the ENERGY STAR Logo

The best LED bulbs are those that bear the bright blue and white ENERGY STAR logo.

The ENERGY STAR is a symbol of energy efficiency, set up by the federal government to help consumers and companies save energy

LED bulbs that earn the ENERGY STAR label are independently certified to save energy and help protect the environment. Here’s what that means:

LEDs that are ENERGY STAR Certified meet the program’s high-performance standards to save you the most energy and money while

providing the highest quality light.

So first things first: Whenever you shop for an LED bulb, above all, make sure the blue ENERGY STAR logo is on the package (just like it is on this one to the right).

PUT ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED LED BULBS IN THESE 5 LIGHTS

According to the U.S. EPA, the average American home, maybe like yours, has approximately 70 light sockets, many of which still use old-fashioned incandescent or halogen bulbs.

Understandably, you might not be able to replace the bulbs in all your lights at once. That’s why EPA has put together this list of the fixtures where you should replace the bulbs first.

Replacing your home’s five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with models that have earned the ENERGY STAR can save you about $40 per year on your electricity bill.

Though you might spend that much money buying the new bulbs, after the first year, that $40 just builds and builds. In 10 years, you could save $400 (and that’s if you only replace the bulbs in five fixtures – what if you do them all??).

Take the ENERGY STAR PLEDGE!

That’s not only a terrific way to stop wasting money on lighting, it’s also one of the best investments in your home you can make. ENERGY STAR encourages you to #lightthemoment with certified LED bulbs in videos like this one:

NOTE: Many retailers, including Ace, WalMart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot, offer frequent sales that make buying LEDs extremely affordable. Look for sales and coupons that will save you even more money when you buy LED bulbs.

Even if you can’t or don’t want to replace all 5 bulbs, as least do one.

A single ENERGY STAR Certified LED bulb that has earned the ENERGY STAR can save nearly $55 in electricity costs over its lifetime.

TAKE THE ENERGY STAR PLEDGE

There’s so much to keep us busy that, despite our best intentions, sometimes we don’t get around to doing what we should or want to do.

That’s where the ENERGY STAR Pledge comes in handy.

I took the ENERGY STAR Pledge because I wanted to make myself a promise – that I would actually switch to LED bulbs. Here it is! (I pledged to replace 5 light bulbs, as well as to turn off lights when not needed.)

I’d like to ask you to take the ENERGY STAR Pledge, too.

It literally takes less than a minute to do, so no “I don’t have time!” excuses, please!

As an added incentive, taking the pledge enters you into our LED Great Bulb Giveaway for a chance to win ENERGY STAR Certified, high-quality LED bulbs worth $50 (you can decide what kind you want, up to $50).

All you have to do is snap a screenshot of your pledge (like I did with mine) and share it on the big Green Purse Facebook page.

How easy is that?

I hope you’ll do it right now!

POST A PICTURE OF YOUR ENERGY STAR PLEDGE TO WIN LED BULBS WORTH $50.

The post People Who Choose 5 ENERGY STAR Certified LED Bulbs Save More Money appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Has your community set a goal to go carbon neutral? When you start planning, make commercial LED lighting a priority.

LEDs aren’t just for the lamps in your living room. They can meet pretty much any lighting need your city or town has. They work in office buildings, retail developments, transit centers, hospitals, schools, factories, communal workspaces, show rooms, libraries, and more.

In fact, if a space needs a light, there’s no good reason why it shouldn’t be an LED.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with the LED lighting experts at Alcon Lighting in Los Angeles: to explain the many benefits of commercial LED lighting.

Why Choose Commercial LED Lighting?

LED lighting is popular for some reasons you’d expect, and maybe a couple you’ll find surprising.

LEDs are modern, stylish, and functional. As you can see from these photos, they look as cool in the kitchen at work, pictured above, as they do lighting up building corridors, which is why Sustainable Los Angeles chose them for their space.

But in this day and age of climate change, extreme weather events, and expensive energy, the added bonus of using an LED is that it’s a climate saver.

“An LED light bulb can reduce heat and energy consumption by 90% while increasing color rendering and light quality,” Alcon points out on its website.

Put another way, LEDs are the best way to get the affordable, quality light you want without the climate change or environmental impact you don’t.

LEDs also help keep the air in your communities cleaner.

Most lighting is powered by electricity that’s generated by coal-fired utilities. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the major causes of climate change. It also emits tiny toxic pollutants that turn into smog and make our air dirty to breathe. When you use LEDs, you cut the CO2 AND the air pollution.

That, on top of the money saved and the high quality of the light LEDs exude, is why, if your goal really is to have a carbon-neutral city, you actually can’t achieve that goal without switching to commercial LED lighting.

Here’s one additional benefit to LEDs.

If you walk or drive through your community or city at night, how many buildings seem to have every office light turned on, even when no one is there working?

With commercial LED lighting in place rather than old fashioned bulbs, you can reduce energy use in these buildings by 90% – even when the lights are left on (though, of course, we still want them turned off when they’re not in use).

Lighting accounts for almost 20% of the energy a commercial building uses (it’s about 11 percent for residential buildings, which is still a lot!).

Whether you’re building new construction or renovating existing structures, make sure that the architect understands that commercial LED lighting is a top priority. If the architect is not familiar with LED lighting options, the experts at Alcon Lighting can lend some expertise.

By the way, if you’re wondering how LEDs compare to CFLs (compact fluorescents), this post explains: 

7 Ways LEDs are Better than CFLs

NOTE: Sponsors like Alcon Lighting help us bring you the expert content you need to lead the greener life you want. All editorial opinions remain our own.

The post Commercial LED Lighting Can Help Your City Go Carbon Neutral appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Are you smarter than a light bulb? If you’re using ENERGY STAR certified LEDs, congratulations! You are!! You can prove it by sharing a photo of your best LED moment on Facebook or Twitter using the #LightTheMoment hashtag.

#LightTheMoment

If you’re not using ENERGY STAR certified LEDs, well…the light bulb might win.

That may sound ridiculous, but consider this:

According to U.S. EPA, the average American home – probably like yours – has approximately 50 light sockets.

Most of those still use inefficient incandescent light bulbs – you know, like the ones Thomas Edison invented. In 1879. That’s 138 years ago!!

Would you consider using a phone that relied on 138-year-old technology? No.

Would you want to putz around in the 109-year-old Model T? Nope.

What about trying to make your latte using a Little House on the Prairie-type open fire cooking pit? I just don’t see it.

And yet, when it comes to light bulbs, you’re using the least smart, oldest, most expensive to operate, and most time wasting technology on the market:

An incandescent bulb.

A bulb that spends 90 percent of the energy it consumes (and that you pay for) creating heat, not even light!

A bulb that lasts only 1/10 as long as bulbs that you can reliably turn on and off for an average of 15,000 hours before they need to be replaced.

Duhhh…

Lucky for you EPA’s ENERGY STAR program is coming to the rescue.

They’ve worked closely with the lighting industry to develop energy efficient LED bulbs. Here’s why they’re so smart!

WHAT ARE ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED LEDs?

LED stands for light emitting diodes, but that’s not important.

What’s important is that LED light bulbs certified to meet ENERGY STAR’s high-performance standards are so much more energy-efficient and cost-effective that, well, they make anyone who uses them look a LOT smarter than people who still use those old-fashioned incandescents.

ENERGY STAR knows you WANT to be smart. That’s why, starting on October 24 (today), they’ve launched an initiative to encourage you to #LightTheMoment by sharing pictures of special moments in your life that can be made even better by lighting them with ENERGY STAR certified LEDs.

In fact, ENERGY STAR is inviting you to take pictures of those moments and post them on Facebook and Twitter using the #LightTheMoment hashtag (please tag @ENERGYSTAR while you’re at it).

If you already have LED light bulbs in your home, go ahead and and show off how smart you are by snapping fun photos of how you’re enjoying their light at home or at work.

Then stay tuned, because, in addition to impressing all your friends and family with your energy smart-ness, ENERGY STAR will be showcasing many of the photos in their “Moments Gallery.” Your photo may even end up in a “Light the Moment” highlight reel in November. (I love this reel ENERGY STAR has pulled together so far.)

But if you DON’T have LED light bulbs yet, for goodness sake go get some! Check with your local utility before you head for the store, since many power companies actually give consumers rebates to buy LEDs.

You’ll save money buying the bulbs, and you’ll save money on your electric bill, too – in some cases, up to $55 over the lifetime of each and every bulb you buy.

Remember those 50 outlets EPA says most houses have?

Do the math:

50 outlets x $55/bulb savings = $2,750.

How smart is that?!!

By the way, LED light bulbs give you some bragging rights when it comes to talking about what you’re doing to stop climate change – and after all the climate-related hurricanes and fires this season, who doesn’t want to do that?

Most electricity still comes from coal-fired power plants. Burning coal emits the carbon dioxide that causes climate change.

When you switch to an LED, you reduce the amount of coal needed to keep the light bulbs burning in your house.

 “If each home replaced only one of Thomas Edison’s light bulbs with an ENERGY STAR certified LED, we would prevent nearly 7 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emission per year, equivalent to the emissions from 650,000 cars.”  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Doesn’t that sound like a no-brainer?

SHARE YOUR #LightTheMoment!

You can get more information about the #LightTheMoment campaign from ENERGY STAR right here.

If you need help figuring out what bulb to actually buy, check out this handy guide.

By the way, here’s one last way to show you really are smarter than a light bulb:

When you buy your LEDs, make sure they carry the bright blue ENERGY STAR label. That’s how you’ll know the bulbs meet the highest performance and energy efficiency standards you want.

DO ME A FAVOR, PRETTY PLEASE!

Will you please share this post and the hashtag #LightTheMoment with your own communities? I know sometimes it’s fun to be the only smarty pants in the room. But I think you’ll agree that, right now, the planet needs as many smart people pulling for it as possible.

Thanks for spreading the word!

The post Are You Smarter Than a Lightbulb? Only if You’re Using ENERGY STAR Certified LEDs! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

If you have made the choice to upgrade to LED lights in your home, you have taken a step in the right direction for reducing your home’s impact on the environment. However, to get the best performance from your LEDs, you must purchase the right type of lights. We’re partnering with LED lighting experts LEDified to offer 6 steps that guarantee you’ll choose the right LED for your home.

How to Choose the Right LED for Your Home

1. Choose brightness based on lumens, not watts.
2. Pick soft, neutral or cool white light.
3. Select a bulb made for dimmers if needed.
4. Keep in mind “beam angle.”
5. Pay attention to ambience, accents and tasks.
6. Use a coupon, get a utility rebate.

Choose the brightness of your LED bulbs based on lumens, not on watts.

When purchasing LEDs, many people make the mistake of judging the bulb’s brightness on the amount of watts on the label. The brightness of incandescent bulbs is linked to watts. However, watts are a measure of how much energy a bulb draws. Because LED lights draw less energy and don’t correlate to brightness, the metric that is used for the brightness in LED lights is lumens.

Compare how many watts it takes an incandescent bulb to the amount an LED needs to generate the same level of brightness:

Pick Your Bulb Depending on What Kind of Light You Need

There are 3 types of brightness to consider when you are purchasing an LED light bulb: soft, neutral, or cool.

Soft white LED light bulbs.

These are the standard color of LED light bulbs. The color emitted from this bulb is yellowish and provides a warmer color. They’re nice in living rooms, bathrooms, family rooms and bedrooms.

Neutral White LED light bulbs.

These light bulbs are ideal to use in task-oriented environments, like a kitchen or workshop.

Cool White (also known as daylight)

These lights lumens are good for a porch, garage or even a closet.

Select the right bulb for your dimmers.

Dimmers have traditionally been used with incandescent light bulbs to change their brightness by adjusting the voltage going into the light bulb. The same doesn’t apply to LED lights because when the applied or average voltage drops below the minimum voltage that’s required to power the LED, the LED light won’t turn on. Furthermore, the LEDs might flicker, hum, or buzz. Conventional LEDs will only work at a 100% brightness level.

If you want to have the option to dim your LED lights, you must purchase LED lights that have the circuitry to perform the dimmable function. Some tips for purchasing LEDs include:

• Check the label to see if the LED light is dimmable.
• Although some LED lights will work with incandescent dimmers, it is recommended that you upgrade to LED-specific dimmers.

If you cannot see any information about dimming on the label, do not purchase the LED light for a dimmer fixture.

Get your desired beam angle.

One of the great things about investing in LED lighting is that they can provide different beam angles. You can check the labelling for the LED’s beam angle lens. If you want your lights to shine with like a spotlight, you will probably opt for a 20-degree lens. However, if you would prefer a wide-angle lens, then a 60-degree lens would be better. Keep in mind that the intensity of the light may be lower, the wider the beam angle is. These types of bulbs are ideal for lighting up entire rooms.

Select the right lights for ambience, accents and tasks.

There are three main ways to think about lighting in your home: ambient, task, and accent lighting.

Ambient

Ambient lighting provides the overall illumination for a room by lighting up the entire space.

Task

This type of lighting illuminates an area for a specific function. For example, a table lamp shines light on what you’re reading; a bathroom sconce might be helpful for applying make-up. Before you choose any light, be clear on what task it needs to illuminate.

Accent

Accent lighting draws attention to a particular object such as artwork, sculptures, bookcases and plants.

Get an LED!

LED lights are a great investment because they can last a decade or longer and save the cost of buying the bulb many times over in reduced utility bills.

Use the advice provided by LED lighting experts LEDified to select the right LED light bulbs for your home.

NOTE: Sponsors like LEDified allow us to provide expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

The post 6 Steps That Guarantee You’ll Choose the Right LED For Your Home appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Sunday, November 1, you’ll be turning back your clocks and turning on your lights a lot earlier to deal with the longer, darker nights. It’s the perfect time to replace the energy-wasting bulbs in the lights you use most with the best energy-efficient light bulbs available: compact fluorescents and LEDs.

Here’s a guide to help you figure out what bulb to put where – and how much money you’ll save when you do.

Download Here

NOTE: This guide is reprinted with permission from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Ecova.com. 

You can find LEDs and CFLs in hardware stores and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. We sell a variety in our Big Green Purse Amazon store, too. If you are willing to pay a little more upfront for LEDs, you won’t regret it because they’ll last so long. Whatever you buy, make sure they’re ENERGY STAR certified. Here are 3 worth taking a look at:

3-Pack from Feit Electric – They’re dimmable, last over 22 years, and use only 9.6 watts to replace a 60 watt bulb.

Hyperikon LED – Buy them singly or in a 4-pack. Also a 60-watt equivalent, with a soft white glow.

SunSun Lighting LED – This is a 40 watt equivalent that uses only 6.5 watts, so it will save more than 80% of the energy a traditional incandescent uses. It promises 25,000 hours of warm light.

The post How To Pick the Best Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs For Your Home or Apt. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

FIRST, WHY SHIFT TO LEDS?

Here’s what Helga has learned about LEDs.

Energy-efficient lighting technology is a great way to reduce pollution, help stop climate change, improve our health and help us save money. That’s especially true of bulbs that use LEDs, also known as light emitting diodes.

Reduce Air Pollution – LED bulbs help reduce air pollution, making the air healthier to breathe for kids and others who suffer from asthma, heart disease and many respiratory ailments.

Most household energy still comes from coal-burning power plants. About 12% of the energy we use at home powers our lighting, like ceiling fixtures, under-counter lights, and table and bedside lamps. An LED uses 70-90% less energy than a standard bulb, limiting the need to burn that much more coal.

Stop Climate Change – Speaking of energy, if every household replaced just one light bulb with one that has earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to light two million homes for a whole year. We would also prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that of 550,000 vehicles. LEDs are a terrific solution to climate change.

Save Money – Any time we save energy, we save money. Though an LED bulb costs a little more up front, it saves a whole lot more during the life of the bulb. According to ENERGY STAR, a single LED bulb can save $80 in electricity costs over the lifetime of the product.

PLUS – LED technology is so efficient, one bulb can last as long as 22 years or 25,000 hours. That’s particularly convenient for hard-to-reach places like ceilings and outdoor fixtures.

Why Prefer ENERGY STAR- Certified LED BULBS? BETTER QUALITY, MORE SAVINGS!

Some LEDs claim to save energy but fall far short when it comes to what they actually deliver. ENERGY STAR means high quality and reliable performance, particularly in the following areas:

• Long Lasting: ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs are put through rigorous long term testing to simulate real life use and carry a minimum 3 year warranty. That’s why one LED bulb can last more than 20 years!

• Light Distribution: LED bulbs that have earned the ENERGY STAR will match the light distribution of the incandescent bulbs they advertise they are replacing.

• Color Quality: 6 different color metrics are used to make sure that consumers get the best color quality from the first day of purchase to after years of use.

• Dimmability: All ENERGY STAR certified bulbs must indicate on the front of the package whether or not they are dimmable. If they are, a list of compatible dimmers must be provided.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR AN LED BULB TO GET ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED?

All ENERGY STAR certified lighting products are subject to thorough testing and review before they can bear the label, including:

o Verified compliance with more than 20 separate industry standards and procedures

o Third-party testing of products off the retail shelf

o Rapid cycling of bulbs thousands of times to find early failures

o Testing to stress the products in operating environments similar to how you will use the product in your home

With 70% of U.S. light sockets still containing inefficient bulbs, the potential is huge for American consumers to find lighting options that save them energy, money and help protect the environment from climate change. LED bulbs are quickly gaining steam as the most innovative and long lasting alternative to incandescent bulbs.

WHAT DO ENERGY STAR-CERTIFIED LED BULBS COST?

ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs are experiencing dramatic changes in price. At some stores you can now buy an ENERGY STAR LED bulb for as low as $5 with in-store rebates. But remember, even if the bulb costs $10, it will save you $80 in reduced electricity costs over its lifetime.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A BULB IS ENERGY STAR-CERTIFIED?

Look for the label on the package. Here it is on the most recent LED I got.

WANT MORE INFORMATION?

ENERGY STAR is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) voluntary program that has been helping businesses and individuals save money and protect our air and climate through superior energy efficiency for over 20 years.

To learn more about ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs, visit www.energystar.gov/led.

NOTE: I am a long-time advocate of energy efficiency and LED technology. I work as a consultant to help educate the public about the importance of buying ENERGY STAR-certified LED bulbs, but my expert opinion remains my own.

The post Look for the ENERGY STAR LABEL When You Buy LED Bulbs appeared first on Big Green Purse.

However, these days my bulb of choice is the LED, or Light Emitting Diode.  While both CFLs and LEDs offer a number of advantages, LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lighting has surpassed CFLs for many consumers, including me.

A Different Type of Mechanism Makes LEDs Better than CFLs

To be able to understand why LEDs have an edge over CFLs, consider the different ways in which the lights function.

With CFLs, electricity passes through a mixture of gases – generally magnesium and argon – which are contained in a thin glass tube, the inside of which has been coated with a special phosphorous powder. The electrical current stimulates and excites the gas within the tube, which then emits energy that passes through the phosphorous coating in the form of visible light.

LEDs are not manufactured with any type of gas or conductive filament. Instead, they rely on a semiconductor material. As electricity travels through this material, its electrons start moving at a faster rate, releasing energy perceived as light.

Because of the nature of the semiconductor, LEDs are more durable than CFLs, marking what has become one of the most important advantages they offer. Plus:

• Lower Cost Over the Long Term – Although it may appear that the initial investment into LED lighting is higher than that of CFLs, the long-term savings can be quite substantial, mostly due to the number of operating hours each type of bulb can provide. While CFLs have a useful life of up to 10,000 hours, LEDs can provide as much as 5 times that amount, meaning the need for replacement bulbs will decrease exponentially over a long period of time, cutting costs significantly.
• Color Availability – CFLs can only produce two colors, a cold bluish type of light, and a warmer yellower type. In stark contrast, LEDs can be manufactured in almost any color imaginable, allowing them to serve a wider range of functions and situations, making them adaptable to every possible need. Sites such as HitLights offers a selection of colorful LED lighting for any given occasion.
• A Lower Rate of Energy Consumption – Even though CFLs save a good amount of energy when compared to incandescent bulbs, LEDs are king when it comes to energy efficiency. For example, an LED bulb will use 300 kilowatt hours of electricity during its 17-year lifespan. At 20 cents per kilowatt hour, calculated SFGate.com, the lifetime electricity cost of an LED bulb is $60. You would need five CFLs to match the lifespan of one LED bulb, during which time those five CFLs would use 600 kilowatt hours of  electricity at a cost of $140. No contest!
• Outdoor Lighting – LEDs are preferred outdoors because they enhance the look of different environments. Says lighting specialist Bruce Paul of Passion Lighting, “Landscape lighting has completely gone from non-LED to LED, bringing with it an energy reduction of around 80 percent. And, the amount of light you receive is unbelievable.”
• No Mercury – Some consumers worry about CFLs because they contain a very tiny amount of mercury, a toxic metal that has been linked to a variety of illnesses. Though we are exposed to more mercury as a by-product of burning coal, people still don’t like the idea of bringing mercury into their home. There’s no mercury in LEDs.
• Size – LEDs come in a wide variety of sizes, including very small sizes that perfectly accommodate down-facing lights as well as lamps and ceiling fixtures.
• LEDs are Cool – Actually, they’re cooler than CFLS. That’s because LEDs convert most of the electricity they use into light. Incandescents, and CFLs to a lesser degree, convert the electricity they use into heat. Try touching an incandescent after it’s been on for a while and you’ll see what I mean.

When it comes to durability, maintenance, and environmental impact, LEDs are leading the way into a new age of safe and efficient lighting, one which consumers are getting to know and appreciate more than any other before it.

NOTE: Many thanks to Passion Lighting for sponsoring this post. Sponsorships allows us to provide expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinion remains our own.

The post 7 Ways LEDs are Better than CFLS appeared first on Big Green Purse.

What is an LED?

 LED stands for “light emitting diodes,” semiconductor devices that produce visible light when an electrical current is passed through them. This technology makes them far superior to incandescent bulbs, which waste a huge amount of energy generating light by using electricity to heat a metal filament until becomes “white” hot.  Until LEDs started moving into the market, compact fluorescents were the most energy-efficient option for consumers. CFLs are still a good choice, because they’re 75% more efficient than incandescents. But LEDs are better yet, because they’re even more efficient than CFLs, durable, versatile and so longlasting. Read on to learn more about these benefits.

LED Benefits

I have many LEDs in my home. Here’s what I like about them.

Durability: LEDs last a really long time. One LED can last anywhere from 5 to 10 years, with some bulbs lasting as long as 100,000 hours – 11 years of continuous operation, or 22 years of 50% operation.  That means I don’t have to spend a lot of time changing bulbs. This is especially useful for hard-to-reach locations, like ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, and porch lights. Even if an incandescent lasts 1,000 hours, the LED lasts 100 times longer!

Save money: LEDs help reduce my electricity bill. Though an LED is more expensive to purchase, in the long run, it is much cheaper to operate. A quick review of prices at my local hardware store showed LEDs on sale for as little as $5.97 a bulb. The cheapest incandescents cost around a dollar a bulb. Let’s do the math: For an extra $5, you get a bulb that lasts 100 times as long! That’s almost $100 saved in light bulb costs, let alone the money you’ll save on your electricity bill. Imagine if you replace 10 incandescents in your home with 10 LEDs. You’ll save $1,000 just in light bulb purchases. That’s pretty hard to beat.

 Bonus: Many utility companies now offer their customers discounts when they purchase LEDs. Sunlite, the sponsors of the post, is giving away $1,000 of free LED products to one consumer who enters their Facebook contest here.  Anyone can enter!

 LEDs are cool. Yes, they’re “cool,” if you mean hip. But more importantly, they’re cool to operate. Unlike incandescent or halogen light bulbs, LEDs don’t radiate heat. This is especially important in the summer, when air conditioning sends electricity costs through the roof.

 No mercury. Compact fluorescents contain a very small amount of mercury. While usually not dangerous at home, CFLs add this toxic chemical to our landfills when they’re thrown away. LEDs are safe to use, and safe to dispose of.

 ENERGY STAR certified. The best LEDs available are also those that meet the high standards for performance and quality set by the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program. You know from reading this blog that I’m a big fan of ENERGY STAR products because they are well-made, deliver reliable service, and help me save energy and money. ENERGY STAR LEDs meet more than 20 separate industry standards and procedures and have been tested by independent third-parties to meet their claims.

 Nice light. LEDs come in a variety of brightness and color options. Choose soft white/warm for kitchens, dining and living rooms, bright white for bathrooms, hallways and offices, and daylight for security, garages, and laundry and utility rooms.

 Versatility.  LED bulbs can be used in pretty much any lighting fixture you have. Living room table and floor lamps, kitchen and bathroom ceiling lights, recessed fixtures, porch lights, desk lights. Once you decide to go LED, you shouldn’t have a problem finding the right bulb to fit your need.

In the average U.S. home, lighting accounts for about 20% of the electric bill. Why not cut that down significantly by installing LEDs? You’ll start saving money immediately. And won’t it be great not to have the hassle of changing bulbs so often?

NOTE: Thanks to the Sunlite lighting company for sponsoring this post. Sponsors enable us to bring you expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

The post LED Lights Brighten Rooms, Save Time & Money appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Turns out, the energy they use is A LOT. That’s because standard holiday lights are just mini incandescents, one of the most ineffecient ways we light our homes today.

These little lights are annoying for a couple of other reasons. They break very easily; and if one bulb burns out, you often have to throw away the whole strand.

The alternative? LEDs.

Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are exceptionally energy efficient; depending on the design, LEDs may use up to 90% less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light.

For example, the amount of electricity consumed by just one 7-watt incandescent bulb could power 140 LEDs — enough to light two 24-foot (7.3-meter) strings.

LED Features & Benefits
• Use 80% – 90% less energy than traditional incandescent holiday lights
• ENERGY STAR® qualified models help consumers choose efficient lights
• Can last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent lights
• Cool to the touch, reducing the risk of fire
• No filaments or glass, so they are much more durable and shock resistant than other lights

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if all decorative light strings sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save over 700 million kWh of electricity per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 100,000 cars!

Like several other appliances, energy-efficient LEDs are somewhat more expensive to buy than their energy-wasting counterparts, a fact you might find hard to over look even though you’ll make up the extra costs over time on your energy bill. To help ease the pain, several companies are offering discount coupons that encourage you to recycle your existing, energy-wasting bulbs and replace them with LEDs.

HolidayLEDs.com

Send your old lights to HolidayLEDs, and they’ll not only recycle them for you but send you a coupon good for 25% off any purchase of LED Christmas lights at HolidayLEDs.com. This program works. In 2009-2010, people like you sent in more than 10,000 pounds of old lights for recycling.

The recycling program is open all year round.

If you wanted to participate in the Home Depot  light recycling program and were unable to redeem your coupon or would simply like to purchase your lights from HolidayLEDs.com instead, you may exchange your Home Depot coupon for a HolidayLEDs.com coupon by completing this form.

You may elect to receive 1 coupon good for 25% off your entire order at HolidayLEDs.com or 1 coupon good for $3.00 off any 1 LED Christmas light set for each Home Depot coupon you exchange up to five. All coupons will expire on December 31, 2011.

In case you’re curious about how the incandescent lights are recycled, here’s the scoop: they’re put through a commercial shredder, which chops the lights up into little pieces. The pieces are then further processed and sorted into the various components that make up the lights (pvc, glass, copper.) The materials are separated and transported to a region center for further processing.

Here’s how to pack up your lights before you send them to:
HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
118 Rosehill Dr.
Suite 1
Jackson, MI 49202

Include your name and email address, since all coupons will be emailed.

Christmas Light Source

Christmas Light Source will also recycle your lights, and give you a 10% discount towards the purchase of new LEDs. This program makes money from selling the recycled components, and uses all proceeds to purchase Usborne books that they donate to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

Since Usborne Books offers a 50% match on donations, for every $100 in proceeds from Christmas lights recycling, $150 in educational children’s books will be purchased and donated to the Dallas/Fort Worth Marine Toys for Tots center.

The company asks that you box up broken lights and send them “the cheapest and slowest way” possible to:

Christmas Light Source Recycling Program
1923 6th Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76110

Please include your name, address and email address (mandatory if you want the discount code) and you’ll receive an emailed code good for 10% off a single order of Christmas lights (one rebate coupon per household).

Sears and KMart: Trade in to Trade up to Energy Star program

Sears and Kmart will offer you a $4 coupon for every incandescent light set you bring in to recycle. To receive the coupon, take your lights to a Sears or KMart now through Nov. 20.

The post Recycle Holiday Lights and Replace with Discounted Energy-Saving LEDs appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Simply bring in your expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk. The bulbs will be handled by an environmental management company that will coordinate CFL packaging, transportation and recycling to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance.

“With more than 75 percent of households located within 10 miles of a Home Depot store, this program is the first national solution to providing Americans with a convenient way to recycle CFLs,” said the company’s Ron Jarvis, senior vice president, Environmental Innovation.

What’s the appeal of CFLs? They  use up to 75 percent less energy, last longer and cost less over time than incandescent bulbs. The average household can reduce its energy bills by $12 to $20 a month by using CFLs. The bulbs were once accused of emitting a harsh, glaring light. But many bulbs generate a softer, yellower light now, increasing the appeal of using them for any room in the house.

In addition to recycling CFLs, The Home Depot plans to introduce more dimmable compact fluorescents within the year. Home Depot’s bulbs contain 2.3 to 3.5 milligrams of mercury, which is below the National Electrical Manufacturers Association recommendation of 5 milligrams or fewer. It is a small amount, equivalent to the volume of the steel ball in the tip of a ballpoint pen. By comparison, home thermostats contain about 1,000 times more mercury than the common CFL.

The company says it sold more than 75 million CFL’s in 2007, saving Americans approximately $4.8 billion in energy costs and preventing 51.8 billon pounds in climate-changing greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere over the life of the bulbs.

The Home Depot is not only encouraging consumers to change their light bulbs. It’s doing the same in its own stores. The company expects to save $16 million in annual energy costs by switching all of its U.S. Light Fixture Showrooms to CFLs by the fall of 2008.

The CFL recycling program is an extension of The Home Depot’s Eco Options program. Eco Options, launched in April 2007, is a classification that allows customers to easily identify products that have less of an impact on the environment.

Switching from traditional light bulbs to CFLs is an easy change consumers can make to reduce energy use at home. According to the EPA’s ENERGY STAR(R) program, if every American switched one incandescent bulb to a CFL, it would prevent more than $600 million in annual energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from 800,000 cars.

NOTE:  Consumers can also recycle CFLs at any IKEA store.

Thumbs up to both Home Depot and Ikea!

The post Recycling CFLs is Finally Easy to Do! appeared first on Big Green Purse.