Sometimes a person going out on a mission to buy all new LED light
bulbs for their home will pause when they see the price tag. They cannot
believe that LED light bulbs could possibly cost so much more than standard
incandescent light bulbs, and the first thing out of their mouths is, “Why
are LED Lights so expensive?” The truth is, they do cost more, but there
are many reasons for this. One of the things people need to keep in mind is
that LED lights are so much more efficient than standard light bulbs that
they will surely earn their keep in a very short period of time. That is,
the money spent on obtaining them will be made up for quite quickly in the
form lower electricity bills, and the less frequent need to replace them.
There are other advantages to using LED lights so asking “Why are LED
lights so expensive?” before understanding the technology is putting the
cart before the horse.
Cost of Production
Anytime a technology is in its early phases, the cost of that product will
almost always be a bit higher. Take the microwave oven, for example. Some
of the very first models cost over $3000.00 and now they can be purchased
for as little as $49.00, and lower in some cases. This is because LED
technology, while already excellent, is still in its infancy. As a result,
the materials and man power hours that go into development are much more
expensive. By the time the product reaches the store, it will almost always
result in a higher price tag. As consumer demand is creating a need for
more and more LED products, manufacturers are better able to mass produce
these items, and this drives prices down. This is already happening with
LED lights and the question “Why are LED lights so expensive?” is already a
thing of the past.
New Technological Developments
There are many exciting developments being made to LED technology. For
example, researchers from Purdue University seem to have found a way to
utilize silicon wafers in place of sapphire technology. A lot of money goes
into the equipment, man power, and facilities, whenever there is any type
of technical research being conducted. According to these researchers,
should this process work, it will cause the cost of production to go down,
thereby, lowering the prices consumers pay for LED lights. There is no way
to predict how long this research and development phase will last before
the technology is perfected. It could be years before the general public
realizes a significant price reduction, or it could happen next month.
Less Energy and Money Saved
With all the talk about how expensive these LED lights are to buy, some
people are probably thinking there is no way they are going to go out a buy
a bunch of fancy, expensive light bulbs. Well, for those people, LED lights
may be expensive and even fancy, but they are definitely a better buy! LED
lights use approximately 80% less electricity or battery power to function.
This is a huge savings! In fact, this type of savings would more than
likely make it seem as if the LED lights had paid for themselves within a
matter of a few months. And the bulbs themselves will last as many as 50
times longer than an incandescent bulb. If you are tired of changing bulbs
two or three times a year, try changing LED bulbs every decade or two! The
initial investment is really nothing when compared to how much money having
LED lights will save.
For the folks who are curious about LED lights, they are extremely easy to
obtain. They are sold almost everywhere that sells standard light bulbs, in
fact sometimes when they are purchased online there are additional
discounts. Perhaps one day, this safe and cost effective mode of artificial
light will be the standard. Why are LED lights so expensive? The bottom
line is, they really aren’t!
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