Did you know conventional light bulbs produce a large amount of heat that not only leads to them burning out but also makes your utility bills go up for nothing? Well, now I know why my “green friends” have advised me to switch to LED light bulbs for so long.

Most of us have heard a lot about LED bulbs, and many people have already switched to LED part of the way or all the way. For most circumstances, LED lighting is both brighter and more convenient. LED light bulbs can go in just about everything nowadays from your lamp, headlights, ceiling lights to night lights and chandeliers.

Let’s start with the biggest reason why you should make the change to LED.

LED lightbulbs last ten times longer and do not generate the unnecessary heat common in other bulbs.

All lightbulbs produce heat, but the LED’s are just much more efficient, if light is what you want, not a heat lamp. There are many articles out there explaining why LED’s are much cooler and less wasteful. Pretty much, lightbulbs convert electricity to visible light quite inefficiently. Much of that electricity is wasted to invisible light like infrared rays. We feel that waste as unwanted heat. LED’s are just much more efficient than other bulbs in converting electricity to visible light.

An average light bulb will only last an average of 1,500 hours but an LED can last 25,000 to 50,000 hours on average. That’s an enormous difference. Therefore, not only will you save money by reducing your electricity bill each month, you will save money from purchasing fewer bulbs.

LEDs are also almost always safer. One apparent reason is that the bulbs are cool to the touch. No more worrying about burning yourself touching hot lightbulbs or getting too close to one. But even more dangerous are malfunctioning parts from overheating. In addition to generating less heat, LED lights often have an additional mechanism that spreads the heat out safely. This mechanism is called a “heat sink.”

Here’s a quick guide on how to choose LED bulbs for the home.