Making the switch to LEDs cuts costs

For some businesses, saving energy may be as easy as changing light bulbs. The U.S. Energy Information says commercial businesses used 19 percent of their electricity, or 262-kilowatt hours, on lighting last year. The cost for commercial lighting hits $38 billion according to the Department of Energy. So, there's money to be saved by reducing those figures.

For many boutique retailers, small businesses and apartment complexes, saving money means unscrewing watt-hungry incandescent bulbs and switching to more efficient CFLs or LEDs. Although both are energy savers, LEDs deliver more savings and offer a longer life, up to 50 times incandescent bulbs.