When T8 Electrical was founded, our core mission was helping people save energy and money. That mission started with T8 fluorescent ballasts and lamps — hence our name — and has evolved alongside lighting technology. Today, LED lighting represents the single most impactful energy efficiency upgrade most homeowners can make, and the technology has reached a point where there's simply no reason to use anything else.
The Numbers Don't Lie: Real Savings Calculations
A typical Hudson Valley home has 30-40 light fixtures, ranging from recessed cans and ceiling fans to table lamps and under-cabinet lights. If those fixtures use traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs, you're spending significantly more on lighting than necessary. Here's a real-world comparison based on current New York electricity rates:
A standard 60-watt incandescent bulb produces about 800 lumens of light and costs approximately $7.50 per year to operate at average NY electricity rates, assuming 5 hours of daily use. The LED equivalent produces the same 800 lumens using only 8-10 watts, costing about $1.10 per year to operate. That's a savings of $6.40 per bulb, per year.
Multiply that savings across 35 fixtures, and you're looking at $225-$250 per year in electricity savings from lighting alone. Over the 15-25 year lifespan of quality LED bulbs, that's $3,000-$6,000 in savings — from a single upgrade that can be completed in a day.
But the savings don't stop at the electric meter. Incandescent bulbs convert 90% of their energy into heat, not light. In summer, that heat makes your air conditioning work harder. A home with 35 incandescent bulbs running 5 hours a day is adding roughly 2,000 watts of heat to your living space — equivalent to a small space heater. Switching to LED eliminates most of that heat, reducing your cooling costs by an estimated $50-$100 per summer.
Beyond the Bulb Swap: A Professional Approach
While screwing in LED bulbs is a good start, a professional LED upgrade goes much further. We evaluate your entire lighting system and recommend improvements that maximize both efficiency and quality of light.
Recessed lighting is a prime example. Older recessed cans with incandescent or CFL bulbs can be retrofitted with LED modules that provide better light distribution, improved color rendering, and dramatically lower energy consumption. Modern LED recessed lights also produce significantly less heat, which reduces your cooling costs and eliminates the fire risk associated with insulation contact on old-style recessed cans. The retrofit modules snap directly into existing housings, so there's no need to modify your ceiling.
Under-cabinet lighting is another area where LED technology shines — literally. Old fluorescent or halogen under-cabinet lights can be replaced with slim LED strips that provide even, shadow-free illumination for kitchen work surfaces. These strips use a fraction of the energy and last for decades without replacement.
Landscape lighting, garage lighting, and workshop lighting are other areas where LED upgrades deliver outsized returns. LED landscape lighting uses so little power that you can often add significantly more fixtures — improving your home's curb appeal and security — without increasing your energy costs at all.
Color Temperature Matters: Getting the Right Light
One reason some people resisted early LED adoption was the harsh, cold, bluish light quality of first-generation LEDs. That's ancient history. Today's LEDs are available in a full range of color temperatures, measured in Kelvin (K), from warm candlelight to cool daylight:
Warm white (2700K) mimics the cozy glow of traditional incandescent bulbs and is ideal for living rooms, bedrooms, and dining areas where you want a relaxed atmosphere. Soft white (3000K) is slightly brighter and works well in kitchens, bathrooms, and hallways. Neutral white (3500-4000K) provides clear, balanced light that's excellent for home offices, laundry rooms, and task areas. Daylight (5000-6500K) is the brightest and most energizing, perfect for workshops, garages, and craft rooms.
We help homeowners choose the right color temperature for each room, creating a lighting scheme that feels natural and comfortable throughout the home. We also pay attention to CRI (Color Rendering Index), which measures how accurately a light source renders colors. Quality LED bulbs with a CRI of 90 or above make colors look vibrant and true, while cheap LEDs with low CRI can make everything look washed out and flat.
Dimming Done Right: Compatibility Matters
LED dimming requires compatible dimmers — this is one of the most common issues we see with DIY LED upgrades. If you install LED bulbs with old incandescent dimmers, you'll likely experience flickering, buzzing, limited dimming range, or the lights not turning off completely at the lowest setting. These aren't defective bulbs; they're incompatible dimmers.
We replace outdated dimmers with LED-compatible models that provide smooth, silent dimming from 100% down to 5% or less. Modern LED dimmers use trailing-edge technology specifically designed for the low-wattage, electronic nature of LED drivers. The difference in performance is dramatic — smooth, flicker-free dimming that lets you set exactly the right mood for any occasion.
The T8 Whole-Home LED Package
We offer a comprehensive whole-home LED upgrade service that includes a detailed lighting audit of every fixture in your home, customized bulb and fixture recommendations based on each room's function and your preferences, dimmer upgrades where needed for full compatibility, professional installation, and proper disposal of old bulbs (including CFL bulbs that contain mercury and require special handling).
Most homes can be fully upgraded in a single day, and you'll notice the difference in your next electric bill. Many homeowners tell us the improvement in light quality alone — brighter, more even, better color rendering — was worth the upgrade even before they saw the energy savings.
Ready to start saving? Contact T8 Electrical for a free lighting assessment. We'll evaluate your current lighting, calculate your potential savings, and provide a clear proposal for upgrading your home to modern LED technology.
Need help with your electrical project?
T8 Electrical serves Orange County and Dutchess County, NY. Call us for a free estimate.
