The investment behind GU10 LED

Since the beginning of the year the LED Lighting industry has once again been experiencing some turbulence after the CEO of Philips LED made the controversial claim that LED Lighting might still be priced out of the range of the average consumer. This isn’t a new development, for a number of years experts have been tangling with the all important issue of whether LED Lights are too expensive or not, but unfortunately the best this can usually turn up is that the prices will eventually drop, we just need to be patient apparently. As the result of Philips fourth quarter indicate the consumer may well have been patient long enough and a fall off of profits suggests one thing only; people are losing faith. 

Hopefully we can restore some faith. We are not here to deny anything. LEDs are more expensive than traditional filament bulbs. They are also more expensive than the more recent CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) energy savers. However, with the arrival of energy efficient LED lighting it is no longer viable for a consumer to think merely in terms of upfront cost. It is misleading. LED Bulbs are an appliance, like any other we use in our home. They are also an investment. The money you pay initially will be returned to you in the form of cash savings on your utility bills and the reduction in replacements costs.

GU10 LED are some of the most popular LED Light Bulbs around. As well as being efficient and long lasting, they are also fully compatible with all traditional GU10 fittings. It is this user-friendly element that makes them so popular. A typical GU10 LED will cost about £8 to £12. However, they also use a tiny 3 watts in power on average, while at the same time achieving the same lumen output as a traditional halogen 50 watt bulb. This is where the largest portion of your rate of return lies; the amount of money you save on your utility bill will be very high.

Moreover, a GU10 LED has a life expectancy of between 30,000 and 50,000 hours. This means they won’t have to be changed for a number of years. In the same time frame you can expect to change an incandescent light bulb up to 10 times. That means the replacement cost of an GU10 LED Bulb is significantly lower. 

These are the two main factors to consider when working out what your LED investment equates to. There are more technical and precise specifications that can be calculated, such as the lumen-to-watt ratio, but for the average consumer these are not necessary.