Money-Saving LED Lighting Is a Tough Sell
The latest wrinkle in LED lighting is a three-way bulb, much like might be used in a living room lamp. The EarthLED EvoLux R gets successively brighter as you hit the switch.
It's not cheap, though, at $100 for a version that's as bright as a 100-watt incandescent bulb.
Of course, maker Advanced Lumonics says the bulb lasts 11 years and touts the money you'd save by not replacing power-hungry incandescents. I'm all for energy savings that equate to dollar savings, but LED bulbs seem a tough sell.
For one, lighting aesthetics (color, for one) make all the difference. Consumers want to try one of these bulbs before committing to a houseful. But a $100 trial is expensive. (Advanced Lumonics does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.)
Cheaper versions include a 100-watt equivalent that doesn't dim at $80 and 60-watt versions at $40. Even the last one is a stiff entry fee. Plus, let's face it, most of us can't think in terms of decade-long savings when the initial cost is so high.
Something like geothermal heat, which also takes years to get payback, costs only about twice as much as a conventional system. And unlike geothermal heat, light bulbs get broken. Fatally. Especially in living room lamps.
Tags: energy | lightbulbs
Tools: 
Share
|
| Comments (2) | Print
Reader Comments
Comparing apples to geese
Light bulbs do indeed get broken in living room lamps. However, LED's (and CF's for that matter) are far more durable physically, and more apt to survive what would break a normal incandescent bulb. As with any new technology, costs run higher for for newer products, but become lower with greater adaptation and use. Further, LED's, unlike CF's, do not contain mercury and last longer than CF's in areas where CF's don't (pardon the pun) shine as well - bathrooms, hallways and other places the lights are turned on and off frequently and lower the life expectancy of a CF.
So for those places where difficult access, frequent off and on's and weather play an important role, LED's are probably more appropriate. They last longer than CF's do. If you don't like the price, wait a year. They'll come down. In the meantime, that living room lamp can be serviced quite nicely by a CF - they come in 3-way now - and will cost less in the long-run.
Led Lights
I will admit that an ELD light is the way to go. But no one seems to reolize that as long as the normal house hold on the low pay scale and the ever rising gas and food and basicly all around expence just to live is going up unless these items are made so any one can afford them it is not worth it. I agree that we need better ways of doing things but as i see it crime has gone up as a result of the high price of living. To most $100.00 to a faimly with kids that is only enough to feed them for a few days. Before it took two jobs one to pay rent and one to eat on Now it takes three jobs pay rent, Eat, And gas to get to them jobs. There is no way i could even consider getting a light like that and i know how much better they are.
Add your thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.advertisement
iTunes
RSS