LED Lights – For a Brighter Green Holiday Season

As we enter the holiday season we find the days growing shorter, and yet our neighborhoods growing brighter as strings of light begin to adorn roof lines, trees, and shrubs.  From modest displays to choreographed musical light shows that would make Clark Griswold blush, decorating homes with holiday lights seemingly becomes more popular with each passing year.

For those who may be more environmentally inclined, or for those who simply want to save some money, LED lights are the way to go.  LED lights use 80-90% less energy than the traditional incandescent strands.  This is because in an incandescent light, only about 10% of the electricity used is converted to light, the remaining 90% is “wasted” as heat.  This improved efficiency leads to less power usage and lower utility bills, whether you put up one strand or hundreds!

While prices for LED lights have declined with their increasing popularity, they remain more expensive than the old-fashioned incandescent ones.  In addition to saving on your electric bill, LED lights make up the higher cost by lasting longer.  On average, a string of incandescent bulbs will provide you 3,000 hours of light while LED light strands provide enjoyment for anywhere from 50,000 to 200,000 hours.  They are also more durable and less prone to breakage.  Once you buy your LED lights you may literally never need to purchase them again unless you decide to increase your display!  LED lights also produce very little heat and so they may also be a safer choice for the tree when it comes to fire prevention.

So you are convinced to switch to LED lights.  What do you do with all those old incandescent strands?  No need to worry, those holiday lights do not need to end up in the landfill!  A number of retail stores run specials where they will accept your old lights and provide you a coupon for purchase of new LED lights.  Goodwill Stores will also accept your old holiday lights for recycling.  This is a great way to make sure that your lights are taken care of in an environmentally responsible matter while providing work opportunities for individuals with disabilities.  In Hilliard, you can drop your lights off at the Retail Store and Donation Center located at 3608 Main Street, at the Donation Center located at 4529 Scioto-Darby Road, or the Retail Store and Donation Center located at 5526 Renner Road.