With the cost of electricity seemingly continually on the rise, more and more householders are looking for cost-effective ways to light their home. One of the best ways to achieve savings on your electricity bill, whilst still being able to have a lovely looking home, is to use LED strip lights.
What are LED lights?
LED stands for light-emitting diode and is a semiconductor light source. Most commonly, LEDs are used as indicator lamps in cars and can also be found in traffic signals. LEDs are also often used in the aviation industry and for advertising billboards. It is only in recent years that this form of lighting has begun to find its way into the home but, very quickly, the LED has become one of the most popular forms of home lighting and has many advantages over standard incandescent bulbs including
- Lower energy consumption
- A higher degree of robustness
- A much longer life-span
LEDs also reach maximum brightness at a far faster rate than incandescent bulbs. When it comes to the brightness produced, LEDs have the advantage over standard energy saving bulbs too. For the ultimate in cheap strip lights, a strip made up of many LED bulbs is pretty hard to beat.
LED Strip Lights
With the average lifespan of an LED light in the home being around twelve years, just imagine how long a strip light composed of many LED bulbs would last. Compared to a standard strip tube, an LED strip light would last on average twenty-five times longer and produces a far stronger illumination too.
Many people are also now discovering the advantages of battery powered LED strip lights. Obviously the lower energy consumption of the LED is already a major advantage but the battery-powered option just takes that energy saving a little bit further, whilst not losing out on the quality.
Of course, not every room in the home is going to be suitable for strip lights but this depends on your own vision for your home. Usually the most popular rooms in the home for LED strip lights are the kitchen and the bathroom
In the Kitchen
The kitchen is perhaps the most functional room in the house, the place where the majority of household tasks are performed. To this end, a bright and clear light is essential in order to be able to carry out these tasks safely and efficiently. For example, when cooking, a natural light is best in order to ascertain when food is cooked properly.
Strip lights can be installed on the ceiling or underneath cupboards to illuminate work surfaces. One tip is to position strip lights just above any wall-mounted units in order for the light to reflect upwards onto the ceiling. This will produce an all-round glow effect but only if your ceiling is white in colour.
In the Bathroom
Bathrooms are arguably the trickiest rooms to light properly. While bright light is needed for tasks such as shaving in the mirror, an ambient lighting effect is better for that long, luxurious soak in the bath. To this end, it is best to position any mirrors or reflective objects away from the primary light source so as not to have too much glare. Dimmer switches will also work in this situation. You may not associate the phrase cheap strip lights with the bathroom, but LED strip lights are just that, whilst still providing superior quality.
LED lights, particularly in strip form, are undoubtedly one of the most cost-effective and best-looking ways of lighting your home.
Dan Young is the digital content manager of Visible Lighting and has many years’ experience in the LED Lighting industry. James Holden is a also content manager of Lighting Industry. To find out more information on James Holden, you can follow him on Google Plus .
