Becoming Wiser by Learning Daily from Others: WELCOME TO YOUR L.E.D. LIGHTED HOUSE!

LED (Light-emitting diode) lights have been in the International and Indian news for quite sometime now and without doubt, they are EXTREMELY useful - to you, the nation and the environment. You & India are benefited by lower electricity consumption. And the environment is benefited by lesser Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, which means putting the brakes on global warming.

World over, energy is becoming a highly scarce resource and its cost is rising steeply. Between January 2014 and January 2017, average unit cost of electricity has nearly doubled in some parts of India.

Why? Energy production facilities are facing serious limitations in increasing their output due to the harsh damage they inflict on the environment as well as due to depletion in major world energy sources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Alternate energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal etc. are yet to turn commercially viable/ plentiful to plug the gap between demand and supply.

In this context, lighting of homes and public places by LED lights is a great energy saver. According to Govt. of India's UJALA website, as on 12-Jul-17 (around 6 pm), since the beginning of the programme, our country has saved 32,497 Million KWh (32,497,000,000 units) of electricity by using LED light bulbs alone. In terms of money this translates to ₹13,000 crores. Greenhouse gases equivalent to 2,63,25,298 tonnes of Carbon-di-oxide (CO₂) did not enter the atmosphere - stopping global warming by that extent! Had they entered, the devastating effects of global warming would have been closer to us than it is now. (Note: UJALA is an abbreviation for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for all).

You too need to do your bit for India in this critical time of energy scarcity by installing LED lights in your house IMMEDIATELY. Of course, that means that you will have to spend a small sum of money in the beginning (about ₹500/= for 5 UJALA LED bulbs). But it will soon be paid back to you in the form of the savings you make from your electricity bills e.g. a 9-watt UJALA LED bulb costing between ₹75 & ₹95 will payback its cost in less than 1 year. For the rest of its long life (up to 15 years), it will serve you as a FREE gadget, giving you the same energy savings throughout its life! And that's not all. UJALA bulbs come with a 3-year guarantee. So if it fails during the first 3 years, you can simply return it and get a new bulb at no extra cost. Further, it means that 3 years of life being guaranteed and the payback period being close to 1 year, it will serve you as a free gadget for at least 2 years. LED lights start instantly and produce clear, white light that is superior to incandescent bulbs, CFLs and fluorescent lights.

Assumptions made in calculating the savings are as under:

To make the investment even easier on your purse, an EMI (equated monthly instalment) option is available(*). So hurry, you really have no excuse to postpone switching to LED !

India's UJALA programme isn't running at full steam on the date of this Post. It is operational only in some states like Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh etc.

If you do not have an UJALA centre near your house from where you can buy LED bulbs, you may want to consider buying from online sites such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc. Yes, prices are a little higher (a WIPRO 9-watt LED bulb on Flipkart costs around ₹250/=, a Philips 9 watt bulb costs ₹180/= on Snapdeal & Amazon offers you a Crompton bulb of the same power for just around ₹144/=), but you will get your bulbs in a few days' time and can start immediately.

The impressive life of LED lighting (i.e. of the order of 15 years) is one of its most highly valued properties. Now, one of the most important factors responsible for life is the quality of LED chips used. Only established manufacturers can be trusted to use quality chips. Therefore, insist on buying brands like Philips, WIPRO, Moser Baer, Crompton and so on even if they cost more, to be assured of long life.

Buy an LED bulb now? Choose brand & proceed