New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) offers you the chance to Ask the Energy Experts. Got a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy? Send your question to: EnergyExpert@nullNHEC.com and get answers from the Co-op Energy Solutions team.

Q: I’ve heard a lot of talk about LED lights – both good and bad. Are LEDs a good choice, or should I just go with Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)?

A: Your choice of lighting will depend on how and where you’re using it, but LEDs have a lot of advantages over CFLs. For starters, LEDs last many times longer than CFLs – up to 100,000 hours! Also, there’s no mercury in LEDs, unlike CFLs, which require special disposal.

Beyond those benefits, you’ll also find LEDs provide better quality light over a specific area. Many styles of LEDs are “directional” light sources, which means they emit light in a specific direction, unlike incandescent and CFL bulbs, which emit light – and heat – in all directions. For this reason, LED lighting is able to use light and energy more efficiently in many applications.

LEDs do away with many of the inconveniences of CFLs. For example, LEDs are fully dimmable, unlike CFLs which aren’t as versatile with dimmer switches. And unlike CFLs, the initial lumen output of LED lights is not diminished in cold weather. For that reason, LEDs are great for outdoor applications.

The real proof of LEDs’ superiority is in the cost savings. Compare LEDs to incandescent bulbs and the savings can be dramatic. Replacing a 250 watt high pressure sodium wall pack that runs dusk to dawn with a 40 watt LED fixture will save around $140 a year and last more than 15 years. LEDs’ biggest advantage over CFLs is the fact that they last at least three to seven times as long.

LEDs have made great strides of late in both the quality and variety of light color and style. LEDs have always been praised as a lighting source that is closest to natural daylight, but manufacturers have been “warming up” the look of LED light lately by adding substances such as phosphor to give it a look closer to that of an incandescent.

Finally, LEDs are coming down in price. Whereas the typical LED cost $40 or more just a few years ago, New Hampshire residents can take advantage of $10 in-store rebates provided by their electric utility to buy an ENERGY STAR certified 10-watt LED (comparable to a 60-watt incandescent) for about $5.

Advantage: LEDs!

NHEC is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 83,000 homes and businesses in 115 New Hampshire communities, including Andover.