With incandescent going the way of the dodo, the future looks bright for light emitting diode bulbs.
MONEY WELL SPENT | Last summer, while the Republicans in the U.S. House of Rep- resentatives were busy claiming to have struck a blow for freedom by voting to strip all funding from government programs promoting energy-saving light bulbs (talk about dim and dimmer), B.C. Hydro was busy striking a blow for common sense by offering a rebate to businesses (from $11 to $45 per light bulb) for switching from incandescent and halogen to more energy efficient LED lighting.
The LED Future Looks Bright
LED lighting is blowing up in B.C. partly because of January 2011 legislation to phase out 75 and 100 watt incandescent bulbs, and partly because LED lighting is the future. Incandescent bulbs waste between 80 to 90 percent of their energy generating heat rather than light, and halogen lights are similar. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) consume 75 percent less energy than incandescent lights but contain miniscule amounts of mercury. LED (an acronym for light emitting diode) lights use less power and generate less heat than CFLs and that translates directly into lower electrical bills. They also last 35 to 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs and two to five times longer the CFLs.
What’s Not To Love About LED?
So what’s not to love about LED lighting? Right now, price point and light quality, but both are improving with lightening speed. Today you’ll pay $20 to $50 for a single LED bulb. Never mind that this light source will see your newborn child into adulthood, it’s still a big bite up front; eventually these prices will drop dramatically as they have with CFLs. Then there’s light quality, which is good though not necessarily full spectrum, but this too will noticeably improve sooner than you think.
The Switch light bulb (pictured here) is an American product launching in November that promises a bright, warm incandescent-quality light. It will be available for pre-order online on the company’s website in October in 60 and 75 watt versions. Switch light bulbs is inspired by the cradle-to-cradle methodology, which means all product is made of 100 percent reusable or reclaimable materials—now that’s a very bright idea. —Ruth Rainey
Check out B.C. Hydro’s LED rebates for businesses at www.bchydro.com. Read all about the Switch at www.switchlightbulbs.com. See a good range of LED bulbs at The Home Depot, www.homedepot.ca.
Photos: courtesy Switch
I think it’s so much better to use a LED light! LED’s are so much better for the environment, and the light is also beautiful too! I’ll hope that people will use so much more LED’s in the future, because it will save so much energy.