Here’s the Scoop on High-Efficiency LED Lighting For Your Home

Remember back in the day when LED lights first came out on the market?

People were slow to adopt them because they gave off sort of a bluish-white tint, which didn’t exactly match the bright-light incandescent lightbulb variations. So unless homeowners were willing to replace every bulb in the house, LED lights were sort of a dud when they first emerged.

But we’re a lot smarter now, and technology is much more innovative these days. Now, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) produce a nice, warm, yellow light that many homeowners prefer to light up their living areas with.

Even the cost has dropped significantly since LEDs first came out. In fact, the average price of a 40W replacement LED light bulb has now dropped down to about $10. Compare that to the hefty price tag of upwards of $40 when they were first introduced.

Sure, they’re pricier than your traditional incandescent bulbs upfront, but there’s no denying their awesome return on investment. LED lights are a lot cheaper to run (75% cheaper to be exact), give off better light, and last up to 25,000 hours – that’s a lot longer than the old-fashioned stuff.

And if you thought the energy savings was amazing, perhaps the best part of LEDs is how flexible they are. You can vary up the ambience in your space. From cozy and soft to sharp and cool, LED lights come in all sorts of variations that let you create the exact lighting aura you’re looking for. And they don’t just come in your run-of-the-mill bulbs, either.

You can get LEDs in ropes, tape, strips and pucks – in addition to bulbs. Use them for your main lighting, accent lighting, uplighting, and so on.

Speaking of which, let’s take a closer gander at each of the aforementioned LED versions, shall we?

LED Rope Lighting

Want to decorate your palm trees? Light up your outdoor walkways? Run some lights across the crevices on your staircase? Or how about edge your landscaping? There’s no easier and more convenient way to do this than with LED rope lighting.

Rope lighting is exactly what it sounds like – it’s literally rope (usually made out of plastic or rubber) that encases tiny LED chips. While they’re not necessarily as bright as other LED variations, they’re perfect for giving off just enough light to illuminate a space in a subtle manner, and creating a warm ambience.

LED Tape Lighting

As if rope wasn’t convenient enough, LED tape takes things to a new level. You literally take these strips and tape them onto whatever surface you want. There’s no need to fasten it with any tools – just peel and stick! You can even cut the strips to fit the precise length that you require.

LED tape strips are ideal for under-cabinet lighting to provide just the right amount of light to your kitchen countertops. The LED chips embedded in the strips are really close together, and tend to cast a whitish glow when they’re turned on underneath kitchen cabinets.

LED Panel (or Strip) Lights

You can use strip LED lighting to create a dramatic yet soft look by using the panels as backlights for things like mirrors and coffered ceilings. They’re perfect for rooms like bathrooms or kitchens because of their moisture-resistant properties.

LED panel lighting consists of multiple LED chips that are built right into a metal enclosure that’s then covered by an acrylic protectant. Since there are more chips in LED strips compared to LED tape, they’re usually brighter. LED strips come in lengths of 10, 20- and 40 inches, depending on where you’re installing them.

LED Puck Lighting

These are great for highlighting objects in cabinets, bookshelves, or anywhere that task lighting is warranted. They’re a much better option compared to other puck lighting that emits a ton of heat. You can get them either in battery-powered or plug-in pucks, which you can buy either as a set or individually.

Pucks are a good option if you want specific areas illuminated, rather than an even distribution of light that strips and rope lighting provide.

Wanna be thoroughly impressed?

How about Wi-Fi-connected LED bulbs, which you can operate from your mobile device! Next time you forget to shut the lights off before leaving the house, simply click a button from wherever you are rather than turn the car around half-way from work.

Take things one step further and get yourself LEDs featuring light combos that let you produce seemingly unlimited colors across the spectrum. Many systems even adjust the colors emitted based on the time of day, or even what the weather is like! And don’t assume it’s complicated to set up, either. It’s not. The majority of these variations come with plug-and-play functionality, so there’s no need to go out and buy a bigger connected system.

Lay those tired old incandescent light bulbs to rest already and make the switch to more versatile, energy-efficient LED lights for your home!