For decades, choosing a light bulb was a fairly simple task. We didn’t have all these choices we now have today. Wattage meant brightness and we didn’t have to worry about dimmer compatibility.  

Yes, there is a lot of new products and information out there now, but that’s okay. Change is good.

These new products can help us save energy, money and the planet through innovative, lower-wattage, long-life products that don’t produce nearly as much pollution during the manufacturing process as older types of lighting. 

Products such as CFLs and LEDs will help to reduce your energy bills, labor costs and even HVAC related costs. And as a Property Manager -of one location or many- that can make all the difference.

Phased-out bulbs, new efficiency standards, updated packaging labels and LED improvements over the last few years have presented some challenges, but they have also opened up a number of opportunities.

Whether you’re upgrading for the first time from incandescent to CFLs or you’re making the move to LEDs, here are some things you should keep in mind. 

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When shopping around for LED bulbs, it doesn’t take long to run into huge variances in price, wattage, and guarantees. Lots of people ask about the differences between them. The fact is, while the number of high-quality and high performance LED products is increasing every day, there are quite a few products out there that just aren’t built to perform or to last. 

In terms of technology, an LED bulb shares a lot more in common with a consumer electronics device than it does with a typical filament based light bulb. You wouldn’t have the same expectations of a $30 camera as you would a $300 camera, and that’s a good mindset to have when looking for an LED bulb as well. There are a number of components that are critical to a viable LED lighting product, and any bulb is only as good as its weakest link.

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