I remember when the recycling effort public service communication went mainstream. This was great for the environment. Companies began putting recycling symbols on their packaging and homeowners began recycling. We learned the difference between the numbers embedded within the green arrow recycling symbol. We can hear in our head the mantra reduce, recycle, reuse. For many of us, we get the second two points – recycle and reuse. But are we reducing? What does this mean?
Reducing means two things. First, it means reducing the amount of material that goes into landfills. Secondly, you can literally reduce the physical volume of your trash by doing things like flattening boxes and bottles and other efforts to take up less space with your trash. But, even more importantly, it means doing your best to keep materials out of landfills. Does this mean holding on to that old couch a few more years to save space on landfills? No. This means buying and using sustainable products that don’t require regular replacement. For example, LED bulbs last up to 40,000 hours. Compare this to other bulbs which may last 5,000 hours. This translates to 7 fewer spent light bulbs being sent to the landfill by trading up to LED.
In addition, LED bulbs use 80% – 90% less energy than other bulbs. This means that the portion of your energy bill for lighting would be reduced by 80 – 90%. Saving energy usage saves you money.
Does this sound too good to be true? LED is an investment. The bulbs cost more because they last 8-10 times longer. However, the cost is a slight up charge comparably and you reap the return on your investment long before your LED bulb wears out.
At Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of St. Louis, we both install new LED lighting systems and we also retrofit existing systems to LED lighting. If you are considering adding outdoor lighting, landscape lighting, or other outside lighting to your St. Louis area home, give us a call for a consultation. We look forward to your call.
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