LED vs. Incandescent Lights

Instead of dealing with the twisted cords and faulty bulbs of your old, string, holiday lights  you decide out with the old and in with the new. Easy as that right? Wrong.

Besides the decision on type of bulb of color of the lights, there is a new discussion that needs to be had. Incandescent bulbs vs. LED bulbs both have their positives and negatives; we will outline those here so you can make the right choice for you and your home this holiday season.

We will start with incandescent bulbs, since they have been a holiday lights staple for some time now. The first positive that comes along with purchasing these lights, is that initially the price will be significantly less, depending on the size of your order. The incandescent lights also burn much brighter which is a good thing, but comes with some drawbacks.

Incandescent Bulbs

Some of the drawbacks of a bulb that burns this bright include a higher burning temperature, which could lead to a fire if something were to go horribly wrong. It also takes quite a bit more energy to run these lights, which will increase utility bills.

LED Bulbs

Incandescent bulbs certainly have some qualities that could make them a better purchase for you and your home, but LED lights have made up a lot of ground with home decorators in the last couple of years.

LED bulbs will be a little more expensive at checkout, as we previously mentioned, you will save money on your utility bills. Additionally, durability is one of the core reasons people have made the switch from incandescent to LED. In a study released by consumerreports.org, after 2,000 hours of use each strand of incandescent bulbs tested had at least one faulty light, however after 4,000 hours of use every bulb on the LED strand was still functioning.

Since the lights don’t burn as bright as the incandescent bulbs, they are consequentially better for the environment and your wallet. Since they require less energy to run, you can also run more lights off of a single outlet.

At the end of the day, it is ultimately up to you, the consumer, to figure out what will work best for you and your home.  We hope this has been a useful service in your decision-making process this holiday season! Let us know if you have other questions or concerns.