Are LED Light Bulbs The Future?
Posted on Aug 03, 2007 - 07:28 PM
By: Adam Beazley
After hearing about LED light bulbs and their development, I decided that I wanted to do a little research on my own to see what these lights are all about. I took a look around at different places checking prices, colors and wattage and created the following chart to show the potential money and emission savings generated by one regular 120v LED light bulb for home use. The results are listed below:
Comparison chart between LEDs, CFLs and Incandescents over one LED's life span of 50,000 hours:
Description |
LED |
CFL |
Incandescent |
| Life in Hours (hrs) | 50,000 hrs. | 10,000 hrs. | 1,500 hrs. |
| Number of Bulbs | 1 | 5 | 33.5 |
| Cost in US dollars ($) | $67.95 (white) | 5 x $4.00 = $20.00 | 33.5 x 32� = $11.22 |
| Input in Watts (W) | 9.5 W | 13 W | 60 W |
| Electricity Used in Kilowatt hours (kwh) | 475 kwh | 650 kwh | 3000 kwh |
| Electricity Cost at 8¢ per kwh | $38.00 | $52.00 | $240.00 |
| Total Cost | $105.95 | $72.00 | $251.22 |
Total Savings Over a Compact Florescent Light: $105.95 - $72.00 = -$33.95 -No Savings |
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Total Savings Over an Incandescent Light: $251.22 - $28.00 = $145.27 |
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As you can see from the results, looking only at costs, it is still more cost effective to use CFL's over LED's. However, both CFL's and LED's are much more cost effective than using regular incandescent light bulbs.
Even though LED's are more expensive, one of the biggest selling points is their lack of Mercury, officially making them the "greenest" of all lighting technologies (except natural lighting of course). I should also mention that because of the way LED's or Light-emitting diodes work, they produce far less heat than incandescent and compact florescent lights. This reduction in heat is great for individuals in hot climates where the cost of conditioning air is over 50% of their utility cost.
LED's work by using different semi-conducting materials to make electrons jump from one material to the other. This "electron jump" makes the electrons emit photons in the form of visible light, and the color of the light is dependent on the different materials used in the diode. This process uses much less electricity to create the light, however the intensity (lumens) are less than other forms of light. However, with more research and more people buying these household LED's, you can bet that the cost per lumen will continue to drop and we will soon have a superior product at very competitive prices.
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Show/Hide Comments (17)
By Neville J Smith on 08/04/2007
We have used 12 volt LEDS for three years. They do not last anywhere near as long as claimed. They last about 550 - 600 hours, with the recommended voltage of between 7 to 15 volts. These are small globes with between 9 to 18 super bright leds. They fit into downlights in the ceiling. The price varies, but one distributor in Australia, is selling them for US$25 each, which is expensive. They are quite efficient, when new, but as they age, the light fades. So the technology isn’t up to scratch yet. Ours runs off solar panels and battery. Good idea, but not cost effective either.
By TomH on 08/04/2007
This is some really nice, solid research. Like everything in technology, LED will come down in price, and there are so many benefits—durability, size, light quality, etc. I use a lot of CFLs of various shapes and sizes, and one issue is that they tend to break easily, especially the twisty ones; durability is an important component, especially when you’re laying out 12x the initial cost of incandescent.
By Adam Beazley on 08/04/2007
Well Neville,
Sorry your LED didn’t last, but there is a huge difference between a well made LED and a cheap LED and a cheap one will burn out quick, but a high quality LED will last from 30,000 to 50,000 hours. So, if you only spend $25 bucks then I would guess thats a poorly made diode, but spending around 70 bucks will get you a great bulb.
By Jeff Godfrey on 08/15/2007
For some reasonably priced LED light bulbs you can check out DonsGreenStore.com , I’ve probably put a couple thousand hours on a couple of their Honeycomb 36 LED bulbs ( cost $12.95 ) and they are still going strong.
By Jan Steinman on 09/01/2007
An important thing missing from this comparison is light output, and this is where LEDs really “shine” for CERTAIN things.
Do do a good comparison, two additional factors need to be added: luminance and illuminance.
Luminance is the total light output of a device. LEDs are not quite as efficient as CFBs in luminance—they don’t produce as much total light output per unit of power applied.
Illuminance is the light output falling on a particular area. LEDs, with integral reflectors, are great at efficiently lighting small areas; CFBs, with their large light emitting surface are great at efficiently lighting larger areas.
In interior design, these two needs are called “area lighting” and “task lighting.” So, if you need to light an entire room, think CFB, but if you need to light a desk, think LED.
Manufacturers who don’t know the difference should be shunned.
By Simon on 10/02/2007
a. Inappropriate title. this is a comparison of current (2007) costs. your analysis makes no projections into the future. LED is the future.
b. How close are the prices quoted to the national average, let alone the global average? I bet LED are much cheaper in Asia. Secondly, the prices do not reflect the cost of materials. what do 34 incandescents look like? I see a box full of bulbs that one would throw out as waste. what is the cost of changing 33 bulbs? would one drive 5 or 6 times to the hardware store over these 6 years(gas,time,energy)?
c. agreeing with comment 5, but again not looking ahead. there may currently be differences in illuminating roles. but we already see spot style CFLs and we will see area lighting LEDs.
By Karen on 11/02/2007
I got some led light bulbs at www.freeliteusa.com and they work great and I have saved money on my power bill. Not sure about how long they last but they came with a one year warranty.
By Carmen on 11/12/2007
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By John on 01/23/2008
The price of Good Quality LED’s are coming down very rapidly. You can expect to see 12 - 15 bulb Globe Shaped LED bulbs in the $10 - $20 range in the very near future.
Check Out http://www.bulklights.com/ for Commercial Grade LED Lighting Products.
By k.bagavathi babu on 01/24/2008
leds are the future lighting solutions . there is a great scope to bring leds into general lighting solutions after the recent success in the lumens per watt conversion . in india we do alot with leds . our contact adress is bagavathibabu@gmail.com . for your requirements contact
By Adam Beazley on 01/26/2008
Simon,
The cost analysis was just a simple comparison. The prices were the best prices i could find on the internet, so I believe that is pretty darn accurate. Of course there is less waste and less trips to the store, but there is no way to accurately calculate that as the average person does go to the store just for light bulbs.
Anyway, I am not at all against LEDs, I just don’t think main stream will begin buying them until they come down in price and go up in lumens. But they are definitely the future of lighting.
By Cree on 03/03/2008
LEDs are being improved in a similar fashion to computer chips. Power increases, while prices stay the same, or in some cases drop.
It will be interesting to see how far they have developed in 10 years time.
By Gary Brown on 03/04/2008
Hi,
I read Adam Beazley’s article(Are LED bulbs the Future?)with dismay and wondered where he obtained his information. It is skewed in favor of the CFL to a point that I had the impression that the manufacturer’s spin doctors wrote it. I presently study and use LEDs and have the following to offer:
The average LED bulb lasts 60,000 hours and not 50,000 as Adam stated. The cost is a flat 40 dollars for the equivalent of the 13 watt CFL and uses only 3 watts, not 9.5.(CCrane CC Vivid bulb)
The best CFL that I could find was the Noma which states 8000 hours as the expected life. The common (lower price) CFL can be as low as 5000 hours. For comparison though I used the better Noma at $4.69 each.
The Incandescent figures are close to what I experienced.
With the adjustments, the following are the new figures (using Adam’s formulas):
LED KWH used = 180 at 8cents per KWH = $14.40 (+40 for bulb = 54.40)
CFL, 7.5 bulbs - (8000hrs divided into 60000 hours LED life)= $35.18
KWH used = 780 at 8 cents per KWH = $62.40(+35.18 for bulbs = $97.58). Clearly a difference when the right information is used.
By Adam Beazley on 03/05/2008
Hey Gary,
I appreciate your comments, and I will be the first to admit when I am wrong. But first of all, this article was written over 6 months ago and LED’s have come a long way and second, I am by no means in favor of CFL manufacturers. In fact I like LED’s much better(no mercury), but my point was that LED’s are still too expensive for mass appeal and CFL’s are still more cost effective than LED’s.
You talk about this $40 LED that last 60,000 hrs @ 3Watts and I would love to see this bulb, because I will probably buy hundreds in bulk and sell them on this website. Most LED bulbs that I look at just do not have comparable lumens and are much dimmer. A standard 60 watt incandescent lamp produces about 660 lumens of light and the comparable 13W CFL produces about the same, but the LED bulb that I quoted in the table didn’t quite get up that high.
So, again, please respond and give me a link to the LED bulb that you are talking about, because I will happily update my table to reflect the new prices, if the lumens are in the same ball park.
By Gary Brown on 03/30/2008
Hi,
There are several locations to search out. I should point out that every manufacturer in China (I know, but) that makes a CFL also makes comparable LEDs. One of my favorite sites to look at is http://www.gvalighting.com/Catalog.php. This is the catalog and if you download the it, check out the National Library of Belarus (Minsk) in the catalog. They did the entire exterior in LEDs. There are many more and every fixture including the almighty flourescent has a direct replacement ready to go. We only need to get the corporate folks online.... These lights last a lot longer and hence, profits are down.... Personally, I have been using LED bulbs since 1984 and the first one I bought is still working. (as are all the rest)
By Adam Beazley on 03/30/2008
Look Gary,
I am not arguing the fact that LED’s are obviously the future and are better for the environment, but they are still not up to par when it comes to lumens. Since your first comment I have done extensive research trying to find a good supplier from China (on alibaba.com) and have found about 20+ manufacturers of Edison type home replacement LED bulbs. However in each and every case their “so called” replacements could not even get half of the lumens of a regular incandescent light bulb(660lm per 60W bulb). Of all 50+ bulbs that I have looked at over the past month none would put out more than 220 lumens, which just isn’t good enough to replace a typical light bulb in a typical house.
I did get an email from a guy who saw our exchange in these comments and he told me about this one company that is in the process of making a bulb that will actually get comparable light output of a 60 Watt incandescent and florescent. This bulb was supposed to be released 3rd quarter of 2007 but I still have yet to see the actual product, so…
This company is also talking about having a price point of approximately $25 per bulb and that IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT and I cannot wait for them to be released. I sincerely hope that this information is correct, and I will be the first one to release a story when that become commercially available.
Until then, All I can say is I still have not found a LED bulb that can give me the same light as a typical house bulb (60W to 100W) at a price that makes it more cost effective than CFL’s. Still waiting for a link…
PS: I looked at the company you mentioned and all they have is mood and accent lighting products, none that can get anywhere near 660 lumens. That Library was pretty crazy, but kind of defeats the purpose of using LEDs to save energy and money.
By Adam Beazley on 04/15/2008
Well, i finally managed to find some really good LED light bulbs. They are made by EarthLED and I decided to carry them on the site. Now the luminous flux of these LED’s are not equal with the incandescent lights that they can replace, but when put side by side, the light seems to be pretty darn close. So far these are the most efficient bulbs I have found at 70 lumen per Watt which is pretty impressive. 13Watt replacement LED light bulb
