Making the switch to LEDs is a bright idea

LEDs or light emitting diodes are environmentally friendly. The light does not emit heat, and they use a fraction of the energy of a traditional light bulb. I spoke with Tom Herstad, owner of Regal Lighting Designs, regallightingdesigns.com. Tom is passionate about LEDs, and the changes in the lighting industry that they represent. He explained that LEDs offer far higher lumens per watt, which means much lower wattage provides the same light. As an example of how much can be saved in energy, think about a chandelier that has six little lamps. Each traditional light bulb will be 30 watts, making 180 watts in all. To get the same amount of light, the LEDs need only be three watts each, so 18 watts in all. That’s a 90-per-cent saving in energy.