Beyond the Barrel

LED Lights Are Looking Even Brighter

By Marianne Lavelle

Posted: December 5, 2007

When I extolled the virtues of LED lights for the holidays despite their additional cost, most of the sets I found online were $15 for 100 lights. But sustainability engineer Pablo Paster is a better shopper. In his Ask Pablo blog, he says he found them at Costco for as little as $7.39.

Also, the Electric Power Research Institute, the utility industry's research arm, did testing at their Living Laboratory for Energy Efficiency in Knoxville, Tenn., and documented energy savings much higher than the 80 to 90 percent figure most people use. EPRI says Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold character in the 1989 movie Christmas Vacation, who lit his house with 25,000 bulbs, could have cut his electricity bill from $2,400 to $50 had he used energy-efficient C9 LED bulbs. By the way, his upfront cost, if he could have gotten them at Costco at the same price Paster found, would have been $1,847.50. So Chevy/Clark would have had his payback ($502.50 in savings, actually) in one joyful season.

Lower the cost of LED , CFL DON`T replace incandesent

CFL lights are cheap on sale and low on life and minimal usage.The dont replace incandesent you nead a 100 watt CFL to replace a 60 watt bulb same lumens/candle poweran.Life of a CFL varies with a lutron dimmer and a leviton and the light is more reduced.But it neads to be a dimming CFL also . Cant put a CFL in a enclosed fixture . A CFL will burn out quicker when used base up.If you turn lights off when not in use move around the home often it reduces the life of a CFL. I have done all these listed and tryed many brands of CFL`s. How many CFL`s have Nancy Pelosi tried in her home and what is her electric bill? I am starting with LED`s and WOW expensive but produce great light and verry long life.

The more LED replacements and lower cost is what should be done.But please candle power per candle power not a 60 watt replacement with less lumens/candle power and force someone to use 2 bulbs where 1 incandesent was used.

Tony of CA @ Sep 01, 2009 21:44:25 PM

LED's

Since LED's are imbedded in an acrylic medium, if they are well made, they will withstand much more abuse than any incandescent. They can be produced for pennies (as you might suspect from all the little flashing lights on throw-away advertising pins) right now, but until General Electric or Sylvania begin to mass produce them, the ones which are really well made will continue to sell for an exorbitant amount.

Since LED's are very low voltage they work well in flashlights or in throw-away pins driven by tiny batteries. To utilize LED's off line voltage, they require a transformer to step the voltage down. This is the expensive part, but is still quite inexpensive. Another drawback is that they really don't emit white light, but have unique spectra. This means that the light must either be passed through colored lenses or mixed with light from other different LED's.

Still.............the biggest drawback to seeing them available right now is the lack of interest by GE, Sylvania, Phillips or other large manufacturers, but they are watching the market very carefully. Stay tuned. One of the large manufacturers will be the first to enter that market in a big way, and reap big rewards. We will be the beneficiaries though, receiving a large amount of light for very little electrical expenditure.

Jim of WA @ Jun 21, 2009 11:56:23 AM

Led Lights rock for home lighting too!

Never mind Christmas lights - I am writing this under a 5 watt LED listed as equivalent to a 55 watt incandescent bulb, and I have others in my home and plan to phase in only LED lights. These are a little expensive, but anyone who can afford one should bite the bullet and buy at least a few for their most used lighting. Even if it doesn't make the greatest economic sense right now, you'll be investing in our energy future by accelerating the lower prices that will come as we help the industry grow. Just search online to find them.

But I am skeptical of their claims of such long life for LEDs. How come at least half the time I see LED stop lights, at least a few individual LED bulbs are burned out?

Ned of VA @ Feb 22, 2009 05:11:47 AM

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Beyond the Barrel

Marianne Lavelle, senior writer, seeks out the path to an energy future that doesn’t wreck the planet or put you in the poorhouse.

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