The light bulb has undergone quite a makeover in recent
years, and the next big upgrade is at hand. Compact fluorescents may be moving
over for the new bulb in town: LED (light emitting diode).
According to iSuppli, a semiconductor research company, LED
sales for residential lighting will increase by double digits in the next three
years. In part, that’s because of a 2007 law that requires energy-guzzling
incandescent bulbs to be completely phased out by 2012. Companies, like Lemnis
and Sylvania, are hoping LED will
take their place as the first choice in home lighting.
From the apt bulbous shape of incandescent bulbs to the
spiral shape of compact fluorescents, each change has been designed to increase
efficiency and decrease power expenditures of the light bulb.
Cutting a bulb’s energy costs has significant implications
on our nation’s energy consumption habits. Lighting accounts for 11 percent of
the average U.S.
household’s energy use: Cutting back here could mean significant savings. Fluorescents
use less energy to create the same output as incandescent, hence their
increasing popularity.
LEDs go one better, though. An LED 60-watt replacement bulb
only consumes 6 watts of electricity, an incredible savings. Yet while LEDs
have been popular in such products as flashlights, televisions and streetlights,
they have not been used with any regularity as a residential lighting
source.
Price has been the major issue. The 60-watt replacement
bulb, manufactured by Lemnis, costs $50. Orsam Sylvania created a 40-watt
replacement that sells for $35.
“While the retail prices for LED light bulbs are still about
an order of magnitude higher than those traditional incandescent lamps,
customers increasingly are becoming aware of the power savings and long life
benefits of solid-state LED lights,” says iSuppli.
Still, the growing awareness of energy’s high cost could
drive many users to consider the new technology. In a recent survey, about half
said price was a key consideration in their decision. Despite this, 74 percent
of consumers switched from incandescent to more efficient light bulbs. Twelve
percent started using LED, which is promising for Lemnis, Sylvania
and other manufacturers.
Consumers are already seeing benefits. Life Taylor, who
decorates his home with 11,000 to 12,000 bulbs for Christmas, says that
switching to even a few LED bulbs has substantially trimmed his electric bill this
year. “Last year my meter was going around 23 times a minute, and now [with a
few LED bulbs] its doing 17 this year.”
LED manufacturers are hoping other consumers will see the
savings and opt for the new bulbs all year round.
