EMC Featured on WCCO TV News Segment on Making the Switch to LED
March 16th, 2016
For the first Monday morning of Daylight Saving Time - a day that serves as a reminder to homeowners to change light bulbs and fire detector batteries - WCCO Mid-Morning invited Energy Management Collaborative’s (EMC) Eric Rydberg to join Jason DeRusha and Kylie Bearse for a local news segment on how switching to LED bulbs can help save on your energy bill and the environment.
“If you're not using LED lighting you could be losing money every time you flip the switch,” explained Bearse in the lead-in to the segment.
Understand the Costs
DeRrusha, who has some LEDs in his house, commented on how upfront costs used to be prohibitive. Rydberg explained that with advancements in LED technologies the cost has come down significantly.
"What we try to talk to all of our customers about is the total cost of ownership," explained Rydberg. “The upfront cost of the lamp itself is really insignificant over the life of the lamp and it’s really the energy it uses that saves you money.”
Rydberg brought three different lights each using different technologies:
- Incandescent. What consumers are used to seeing and using for many years. The average 60 watt lamp costs about a dollar.
- Compact Fluorescents (CFLs). The next stage in the evolution of lighting, its equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent is only 13 watts, but it costs about $2.50
- LEDs. The LED equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent lamp is about 8.5 watts and costs between $4 and $4.50, but lasts 10 to 20 times longer.
Bearse reflected back on the early LED technology that had the horrible almost white light or bluish light. “It's not like that anymore, right?”
"No, there's been a lot of advancements with the LED technology,” said Rydberg.
He continued: “I think it's really important for people to understand what they are buying so they're not disappointed. Retailers have done a really good job with the packaging on the LED lamps to really call out the color temperature of that lamp you're buying as well as what the energy consumption is and the total life cycle of that lamp.”
Rebates and Other Savings Opportunities
Rebates are out there to make swapping out old lighting technology more affordable.
“Now is a good time to buy LEDs because there are incentives and rebates that utility companies will offer,” said Ryberg.
He explained that energy providers like Xcel Energy in Minnesota actually apply cost reductions right at retailers’ registers.
“Go to Xcel's website, type in your zip code and it will give you all of the retailers offering discounts locally so there's no paperwork to fill out to get those rebates,” Rydberg advised.
Bearse asked whether people worried about whether the new technology will work in their lamps and other common concerns.
Rydberg again referenced the product packaging.
“They call out what it replaces from the existing technology,” he explained. “So know what you have today and match up with the packaging what the equivalent is with LEDs.”
Where to Find LEDs
Pointing to the lamp samples Rydberg had brought for the segment, DeRusha asked how easy LED bulbs were to find.
“They're very common and every retailer will have them,” explained Rydberg.
So how should consumers make the switch to LED? Rydberg gives the same advice EMC tells its clients.
“I think the important part is what we talk about with all of our national account retailers and industrial companies is really to prioritize. You don't really need to change out all your lighting in your house. You really want to focus where you’re spending and where you're using those lights the most.”