High-quality kitchen cabinets should have a useful lifespan of around 50 years, but have you thought about the lifespan of your kitchen lights?

From display case lighting to cabinet lighting to chandeliers, more and more people are starting to recognize the benefits of LED lights. Not only are they better for the environment, but they’re also better and more convenient for the people using them. Keep reading to learn about the benefits of LED lighting, both for you and for the environment.

LEDs are Energy Efficient

First for the most obvious benefit: LED lighting is up to 80% more energy efficient than other forms of lighting, such as fluorescent and incandescent. In traditional lightbulbs, energy is used not only to produce light, but to produce heat as well. Since we don’t particularly want our lights to produce heat, this results in that energy being wasted. In fact, most fluorescent lights convert 95% of the energy they use into heat, which means only 5% of their energy consumption is used for producing light! On the other hand, LED bulbs convert roughly 95% of the energy they use into light, and only 5% is wasted as heat. As you can see, that’s a very significant difference, and a good reason to consider LED display case lighting for your future woodworking projects.

LEDs Use No Toxic Elements

Perhaps the best thing about LED lights is that they don’t contain any toxic elements. This is a far cry from most office spaces and manufacturing floors, which almost all use mercury-filled fluorescent strip lights. When these commercial strip lights are disposed of in landfills, they result in significant amounts of toxic waste being put into the environment. To prevent this, special disposal methods have to be utilized for getting rid of old fluorescent lightbulbs. But these special disposal methods result in extra expense, and it still doesn’t solve contamination issues caused by accidentally breaking fluorescent bulbs. To bypass this problem altogether, use LED bulbs and lighting setups for your home and work projects.

LEDs Have a Longer Lifespan

When you build hardware products like kitchen organizers or decorative display cases, you may want to install lights inside so people can more easily see their contents. But that handy display case lighting can quickly become a mild inconvenience if the bulbs are breaking or burning out every few months.

That’s another great thing about LED lights: unlike traditional bulbs, they have a very long lifespan, and they’re usually more durable as well. In fact, LED lights can last up to six times as long as other kinds of lightbulbs. Not only does this reduce the need for frequent replacements (which normally result in more bulbs going to the landfill), but it also results in lower carbon emissions, because fewer resources are required to manufacture and distribute new lightbulbs. When you use LED lights, from your workplace to your laundry room, you can feel good about the impact you’re having on the world around you.

Everyone is responsible for the impact their choices have on the environment. Hopefully you can now see that using LED bulbs will not only make your life more environmentally-friendly, but a little bit more convenient as well.