LED lifetime is based on 12 hours of use each day. Carbon offsets are based on the reduced energy consumption of the LED bulb over its lifetime. The number of kilowatt-hours saved is multiplied by the pounds of carbon dioxide produced per kilowatt-hour to get total pounds of CO2. This factor is different for each state because power sources are different; some states are more dependent on carbon-heavy sources such as coal, while others use a higher percentage of sources that don’t produce carbon such as hydroelectric or nuclear power. The US average is 1.34 lbs of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour, from the US Department of Energy.

For example: a typical LED 7×1 watt LED bulb replaces a 75 watt incandescent and lasts 50,000 hours. The savings of 68 watts times 50,000 hours equals 3,400 Kwh. At 1.34 lbs of carbon dioxide per Kwh the savings is 4,556 lbs of carbon dioxide that is averted from being released into the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are causing our Earth’s climate to change and slowly warm, which will have catastrophic results if we do not act to reduce them. Carbon dioxide emissions are about 40% higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution and at their highest levels in recorded history, spanning over 650,000 years.

The effects of these climate changes are being seen all over the world today. Temperatures are already increasing, glaciers are receding at unprecedented speeds, whole chunks of the Antarctic ice shelf are breaking off, warmer seasons are becoming longer and hotter, lack of rainfall is resulting in catastrophic brush and forest fires, and storms are becoming more severe.
Offsetting your carbon footprint allows you to become part of the solution to positively impact climate change by supporting the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equal to your carbon emissions.

Carbon offsets can be more cost effective and practical than many other measures an individual can take. However, it is also important to take action to reduce your energy use (which is where our bulbs can help out tremendously). Carbon dioxide emissions are a global problem, so reducing a ton of CO2 in China or the United States has the same climate change benefit as doing so in your own backyard. Also, no technology is inherently better than another: wind is not better than solar, renewables are not better than energy efficiency. Each ton of CO2 reduced is the same as any other ton, anywhere in the world.