As I work with clients to help them save money in their homes, churches and businesses, I often get asked about lighting. Last week, we talked about the difference between incandescent bulbs, spiral bulbs and LEDs. We covered how countries are banning incandescent bulbs and upgrading to LEDs because of the fortune that those bulbs save in electricity costs.

Today we'll talk about money and benefits. How much money would LEDs save you? What makes them really worth the upgrade?

In 2012 alone, more than 49 million LED products were installed in the U.S., saving about $675 million in annual energy costs. They have only improved since then. One of my clients in The Bahamas is saving over $120,000 per year since upgrading to LEDs. In five years, that's over half a million dollars! Where else can you find half a million dollars in five years? (I'd like to know - I could use it!)

Even in my own home, just one of the small lights I upgraded is saving me $32 per year on the electric bill. It paid for itself in half a year, and since it is an LED and is warrantied to last years, it will keep paying for itself many times over! And that's just one bulb!

So if LEDs are better than both incandescent and "energy saver" fluorescent bulbs, do they cost you more than they save? Not anymore! Since 2008, the cost of LEDs has dramatically fallen -- more than 85%.

LEDs are affordable and in The Bahamas you can pick up high-quality, fully warrantied, standard LEDs for your home for much less than $20. Be sure to work with a local company that will warranty your bulbs, so that if anything ever happens to them, they will replace them and secure your investment. That is especially important for businesses investing in upgrading their facilities.

One of the best things about LEDs is their versatility. For whatever sort of light you like, there is an LED version of it. Like the bright white lights? There's an LED for that. Like the more romantic yellow color of old bulbs? There's an LED for that.

Need to replace giant canopy lights at gas stations or huge spotlights in car lots? There's an LED for that. Want to upgrade lighting in your offices without buying new fixtures? There's an LED for that.

Here are some other powerful benefits of LEDs:

o Reduced AC cost. Since LEDs give off 90 percent less heat than incandescent bulbs and are cooler that fluorescent bulbs, your air-conditioning cost gets reduced.

o Better quality of light. LEDs provide high-visibility and consistent bright light.

o Safer, healthier and more productive workplace. By providing better quality and color of light and enhancing visibility, LEDs increase productivity, worker satisfaction and workplace health and safety.

o Long life with minimal degradation and virtually no maintenance. With a life span of 10 to 25 years or over 80,000 hours, LEDs require virtually no maintenance. They produce a steady light output with less than one percent degradation annually over the life of the product.

o Flexibility. Whether you're lighting a home, church, factory, a retail display, office space or a 100,000-seat stadium, LEDs are versatile enough to meet diverse needs.

o Instant on-off. Traditional floodlights take minutes to warm up and turn on, but their LED replacements are able to turn on and off instantly.

o Environmentally friendly. LEDs do not contain mercury and other cancer-causing chemicals in fluorescent spiral bulbs.

o LEDs use less power than other lights and so contribute to a smaller reliance on environmentally hazardous electricity from fossil fuels.

o Since LEDs last years longer than other lights, they contribute less waste to the landfill.

o LED lights come in any color you want.

o Dimmable options are available.

o LEDs are by far the best lighting option for the home or business owner keen on saving the environment while saving money.

Are you ready to save money on your electric bill while contributing to a greener environment? Upgrading your lighting to LEDs, whether in whole or in part, is one of the best first steps. You are going to run your lights anyway - why not pay less to use them? Talk with your local energy efficient products specialist to find out how!

o Joshua Key is the general manager for SuperGreen Solutions Bahamas, located on Wulff Road next to FYP. SuperGreen Solutions leads the market as one of the premier advisors, suppliers and installers of domestic and commercial energy efficient solutions, making it truly a 'one-stop, energy-efficient solution shop'. Having been in the energy efficiency industry for over 19 years, the founders have established a solid reputation spanning five continents. SuperGreen Solutions is different because it looks at energy creation and energy saving from a holistic point of view, to provide clients with total solutions.

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