Dear Umbra,
Where are the LED replacement bulbs for normal household incandescents? They're supposed to be more efficient, cheaper, cooler, longer-lasting, and less toxic, right? So why aren't there any LED bulbs similar to CFLs? I've been looking around but haven't been able to find any yet besides flashlights, holiday lights, and the like.
Still in the dark,
Tim
Eureka, Calif.
Dearest Tim,
As you suspected, LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are indeed more efficient, cooler (on both the temperature and eco-chic scales), and longer-lasting than incandescents. One thing they are not yet is cheaper, at least in the household light-bulb form. We already use LEDs in a wide range of electronics and other gadgets -- not to mention headlamps for hiking and camping -- but their use as household lighting is not yet widespread. You could be the first on your block to go LED. Ooh la la!
Bulbs made from LEDs for use in normal household sockets are out there, they're just more difficult to find than the oft-touted compact fluorescent bulbs now available in grocery, hardware, and mega-stores everywhere. The internet is a useful tool here. You can find LED-bulb hawkers with a simple search using terms like "LED light bulb." You might want to shop around a bit to get a good deal and to see what's out there, as the LED-bulb world is fairly new to most of us.
Though CFLs are now widely touted as an eco-conscious lighting choice, LEDs offer even more environmental benefits. For one thing, there's no mercury in LEDs. On top of that, they tend to last longer -- up to 10 times longer -- and though they will be more expensive now up front, most models of LED bulbs will actually prove cheaper in the long run. Buying LED bulbs now will also help make them cheaper for the rest of us, eventually. So it's kind of a public service, too.
If for some reason you're not satisfied with the LED bulbs you find in your search but you still want to light up your life with LEDs, you could always use those increasingly popular LED holiday lights for mood lighting, or employ an LED headlamp for lighting at home on occasion. The headlamps aren't nearly as bright as LED standard-socket bulbs, which use many more individual LEDs to make one bulb, but I have one ascetic friend who uses a three-LED headlamp in his apartment for reading and even some cooking. While that might feel a little too much like spelunking for most people, it could be a fun option for low-maintenance types who don't like having to turn on a different light switch in every single room they enter. What a pain!
Brightly,
Umbra
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Comments
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James Rodgers Posted 11:34 am
18 Sep 2006
I recommend talking to the good people at SED Technologies who distribute OptiLED products in the Pacific North West.
For more bright ideas visit http://www.greenerhomes.ca
James
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James Rodgers Posted 11:41 am
18 Sep 2006
http://www.optiled.biz/indexmore.html
James
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schooney Posted 12:30 am
19 Sep 2006
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aangel Posted 2:33 am
19 Sep 2006
http://www.superbrightleds.com/MR16_specs.htm (full range of screw socket and track lighting LED bulbs)
http://www.mulelighting.com/details.asp?id=64 (don't believe their marketing: they can replace a 40W light bulb, not a 60W bulb)
For a warm LED (2750K) that is also dimmable, see http://www.permlight.com/products/enbryten/enbc6f.asp
Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are currently in the lab and will be production ready soon (Sep 06). They are already being used to backlight LCD TVs, so it won't be long. Instead of "point source" lighting like a bulb provides, they will be "sheet source" lighting.
People interested in LEDs might also be interested in fiber-optics, which can send LED (and other forms of light) across distances:
http://www.himawari-net.co.jp/e_page-index01.html
http://www.fiberstars.com/
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/solar/
http://www.visual-lighting.com/gallery.aspx?type=architec... (lots of pretty pictures)
http://news.com.com/2300-11395_3-6110642-2.html?tag=ne.ga... (hybrid solar lighting pictures)
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ffletcher Posted 2:37 am
19 Sep 2006
Cool things about LED are energy efficiency, small size (true point source), long life, and ability to be intergrated into fixtures. By building in spares into a fixture a lighting appliance (aka lamp) could last a million hours.
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WendyOZone Posted 4:08 am
19 Sep 2006
Do the LED bulbs last outdoors?
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ffletcher Posted 4:50 am
19 Sep 2006
LED can supplant CFL. It may have a larger impact than CFL as LED may replace fluorescent technology which has been used in commericial and government buildings since the 50s and 60s.
LED do very well in cold weather. They also pose little fire danger. They are showing up in gas stations, high end retail, restaurants, bars, signal lights, and cars.
Costs are high, but so are the savings, as well as the life.
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jeffdotchan Posted 5:17 am
02 May 2007
LED Replacement Bulbs For Home and Retail Lighting.
to replace my 150W floodlights with a 5W LED bulb. It's def. not as bright but I don't need it that bright anyway. It's just for when people walk by, it will turn on.
Check out their comparison of the cost savings - I think it really helps to see how much money you're THROWING away - by using inefficient bulbs
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LED Guy Posted 12:11 am
24 Jan 2008
JOhn ><>
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