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This article will provide a thorough comparison between smart light bulbs and traditional bulbs, highlighting the differences in functionality, energy efficiency, cost, and convenience.
Introduction
Lighting technology has continually evolved over the years, with changes beginning with fires, torches, and natural light to indoor candles, gas lamps, and then electrical lamps. The incandescent light was created in 1879, and gained popularity for burning thirteen hours at a time. In 1904 fluorescent lights came into popularity instead, followed by HID lamps. Today though, the most advanced version today is the LED light used for smart lights.
What Are Smart Light Bulbs?
Smart light bulbs are LED bulbs used with smart switches or outlets. Smart light bulbs are known for their energy efficiency, long term cost savings, convenience, and functionality.
Energy Efficiency
The cost of investing in smart light bulbs might be expensive up front, especially if you are converting from regular switches and outlets.
Comparison of energy consumption between smart and traditional bulbs
Smart light bulbs come with more energy efficiency compared to traditional bulbs. Smart plugs and smart switches rely on LED bulbs and LED bulbs use an average of 85% less energy compared to traditional bulbs.
How is this possible?
Traditional light bulbs, incandescent light bulbs, use a lot of energy because of the amount of heat that gets dispelled from the bulb. Most of the energy consumed by a traditional light bulb, in fact, is wasted in this manner so it doesn’t get converted into light that you get to enjoy but rather into heat that dissipates into the room.
How do smart light bulbs work and save money on electricity bills?
Smart light bulbs save money on electricity bills because they are more efficient. They function as directional light, which means that they send light in a specific direction so you can control how well your room is and use fewer lights to optimize the lighting in your space. This can be a much better option compared to incandescent lights, the direction of which can’t be controlled and often requires additional lights just to achieve the same brightness.
Cost Comparison
If you look at a cost comparison you’ll see that smart light bulbs cost more upfront but they save you more long-term.
Initial cost of smart bulbs vs. traditional bulbs
A traditional incandescent light bulb can cost around $2 per bulb compared to the $7 per bulb you might pay for an LED smart light bulb.
Long-term cost savings due to energy efficiency and longer lifespan
Investing in energy smart light bulbs saves you quite a bit of money long term. Even though they might cost more upfront, they last an average of 15 times longer which means you save 15 times the amount of money you would spend replacing traditional incandescent bulbs on a regular basis by investing in an LED bulb once.
So the longer lifespan saves you money despite the upfront cost and the energy savings from a smart light bulb using significantly less than traditional incandescent saves you even more.
Value-added features of smart bulbs justifying the higher initial cost
There are also value-added features of smart bulbs that can justify this higher initial cost. When you initially learn how to install Smart light bulbs, you’ll realize that it’s more than just the bulb; it’s the smart plugs and the smart switches that allow you to make adjustments, use things like timers, and set schedules. All three of these things control the amount of energy used, how bright the light is, and how often it is turned on. These features might come at a higher cost initially, but they save you a great deal of money down the line.