Behold the $15 LED light bulb

[Flopper]

I was thinking about that the other day. Do you guys think people will want to shell out the extra money for an LED light bulb even if it is more environmentally friendly? I know a lot of new cars have been using LED technology for running lights (Audi, Mercedes Benz, Porsche) But, will people use it in their homes? What do you guys think?

TakePart

Yes for two reason. First there is big savings in electricity. See the calculation below. Second, the move toward energy efficient bulbs is not just in the US. It's world wide, with the US and Europe's ban on the old bulbs and many other countries phasing them out, sales are falling and prices will rise. Eventually, it will not make sense to anyone to pay more and get less.

For example: a typical LED 7x1 watt LED bulb replaces a 75 watt incandescent and lasts 50,000 hours. The savings of 68 watts times 50,000 hours equals 3,400 Kwh. At $0.10 per Kwh the savings is calculated at $346. The cost of the bulb is about $24 and falling. The savings are actually more as this number does not include the cost of time and energy to buy and physically replace an incandescent 25 to 50 times over the life of the LED. That would require more math than we want to write about to right now.

LED Light Bulb Cost Savings - EagleLight LED Lighting Saves Money

Pardon the pun, but the future of the old style incandescent bulb are dim to say the least. No amount of political jabber is going to bring them back.

 

[mawlarky]

Homes SHOULD be built with a separate DC wiring system for lighting and small appliances. But that is EXTREMELY rare right now.. Except for EXTERIOR lighting on large homes.

It's tough to deliver DC, not practical.

You're correct in terms of Grid distribution (although it's used in places) -- but I'm talking about in the home wiring. One should only need to do AC-DC conversion say at the main breaker panel once. AC comes into the home -- gets conditioned as a SEPARATE inside wiring bus as 12Vdc or 24Vdc once. No more giant jumble of "wall warts" adapters for everything you buy. There IS some loss taken if the amperage on the DC wiring becomes high. But the savings in complexity and reliability is worth it.

Every CFL and LED replacement bulb has to have an entire UL approved AC-DC 120V switching power supply inside. Like having a complicated ballast for every bulb. This is a limiting factor for lifetime and contributes to the high cost. If we had DC power distribution in the home -- LED lamp design would simplify greatly.. Literally 4 or 5 simple components versus an entire PC board of magnetics, ICs and expensive caps.

Sorry to disagree but imo a mains scourced d.c supply is a total waste of time. The transfer looses from ac to dc wether by TX or invertor are very high. I firmly beleive the way forward is free satanding individual power generation for each household with any excess being made available to a grid soley for industrial and commercial purposes. a lot depends on geographical location and the scource of the energy but to rely on a single grid system and convert AC to DC is madness.The biggest problem the States is imo ( I am in Ireland) is the totally daft low voltage 110-120 volt system in use which in effect doubles the current for a pre rated appliance, the states need to up the voltage before even thinking about any energy saving ideas ( sorry wrong quote)

 

[Synthaholic]

uh huh.....

Just from its pic.... i can tell it is not going to psychically fit into most of my light fixtures.
In most of my fixtures i use MORE then a 60 watt bulb, or less then a 60 watt bulb, or a 3 way light, or lights that work on a dimmer switch.
Is the color of the light warm...or blue as most LED's are? If it is a blue light i have no use or desire for it.
In this room alone... i have 8 bulbs. $250 a room??

Why would you need or want 8 bulbs in one room? Is your heater broken?

 

[Trajan]

Lighting Science Group teams up with Indian electronics manufacturer Dixon Technologies to unveil the world's first $15-or-less 60-watt equivalent LED bulb.

Even though some LED (or light-emitting diode) light bulbs boast lifespans that last decades while consuming minimal energy compared to old school incandescent bulbs, their price — often hovering around the $40 mark — has remained a sticking point with many consumers. Sure, the savings in the long run are remarkable, but who really wants to spend more than $20 on a single light bulb?

Well, meet the latest creation from the geniuses over at Lighting Science Group: an omnidirectional, 60-watt equivalent A19 LED bulb with a sticker price of $15 or less. That's right, folks — a $15 LED.

Developed in cooperation with Indian electronics manufacturing giant Dixon Technologies, this low-priced, high-performance bulb with a lifespan of around eight years will initially be released in India later this year before making its way stateside and elsewhere in early 2012. The revolutionary bulb is designed to consume 85 percent less energy than standard 60-watt incandescents and 35 percent less energy than CLFs.

With 800,000,000 incandescent light bulbs and 300,000,000 CFLs sold in India each year, the market is ripe for these highly efficient, long lasting and nontoxic products. The economic and environmental implications of this partnership are significant: old-style light bulbs use 60 billion units of electricity each year, 7% of India’s total, and our Lighting Science Group Definity® lamps could save over 70% of that, equivalent to 32 coal fired plants with 500MW capacity.

Behold, the $15 LED bulb | MNN - Mother Nature Network

they said exactly the same regards the CFL, sorry not buying it...literally.

 

[Synthaholic]

I think its great.........but dont tell me what kind of light bulb I can or cant buy. Thats just stupid silliness.

I love how liberals talk about personal freedoms. They're all for it......as long as you have to do it their way.

nobody is telling you what kind of light bulbs you can or can't buy. They are telling manufacturers what kind of light bulbs they can or can't produce.

 

[Synthaholic]

I have two Streamlight LED flashlights I use at work. Both produce a white light, not blue in any sense. The cheap lights one buys at Harbor Freight are blue, but not the Streamlights.

As the LEDs improve, and are available in more versions, they will also become cheaper. They are the future. Soon the incandescent will be as obsolete as a buggy whip.

I love Harbor Freight. If I needed professional tools I would never shop there, but for the one off project you can't beat a $1.99 plumbing wrench.

 

[masquerade]

This Christmas season I will be stocking up on old-fashioned string lights. I have yet to see them in the stores ... seen plenty of LED boxes though. But when I do, I'll be purchasing several boxes to store for the coming years.

Last season I noticed a lot of the homes in my area, going back to the old-fashioned string lights. One house on my road was adorned in LED string lights and it was God awful! I hate the blue light they give off and his damn house stuck out like a sore thumb.

 

[Synthaholic]

I think its great.........but dont tell me what kind of light bulb I can or cant buy. Thats just stupid silliness.

I love how liberals talk about personal freedoms. They're all for it......as long as you have to do it their way.

What makes you think we should be held hostage to your notion of freedom? It's ridiculous to complain about losing an out-dated technology, when we're in the energy situation we're in.

What's your notion of freedom? Obviously, it doesn't mean actual freedom.

Do you believe you have the freedom to water your lawn during a drought? Or are those laws a communist plot?

 

[Synthaholic]

The CFC bulbs are also supposed to last long. They don't. they also contain all kinds of pollutants.

I have an Led reading light that is supposed to be the equivalent of a 75 watt bulb. (It is an array of 20 LEDs) It doesn't work as advertised. However, I really like the idea.

What we have is a present value problem. Currently, incondesents have to be replaced every 18 months or so. They cost about 85 cents each. That means over the life of the LED bulb you would pay around $8.50 to replace bulbs over time. That is half the price of the LED bulb.
11
Plus there is the cost of the electricity. Figure 3 hours of use per day that is 1100 hours of use per year. +/~ An LED bulb using 5 watts would use 5500 wats per year or 5 1/2 kilowatts. A regular bulb would use 82 1/2 kilowatts per year. A difference of 77 wats per year. PGE, the local utility charges 10 cents per watt, or in the case of our example, $7.70 per bulb per year. You would be able to recapture the cost of your investment in the new bulb in two years in terms of reduced energy use. The fact you aren't buying a new bulb every 18 months is a huge savings in terms of hassle and annoyance in addition to the 85 cents.

So for the life time of the LED bulb, you would pay out $106.5 in replacement bulbs and electrical more for regular bulbs than if you used the LED bulb. This is not the absolute cost, this is the difference between the costs. And this is per bulb. Multiply this by the number of bulbs in your house......

And this is Oregon numbers. I understand that since we use Hydro here rather than other forms, our costs are a lot lower than costs elsewhere.

So, assuming we can actually get a bulb that will put out the necessary amount of light (not quite there yet in my experience) and will actually work for 15 years (again, with my experience of CFCs this is not a real number either) going to LED is a huge cost and annoyance saving that you should jump on.

No, a difference of 77 kW per year. Not Watts.

 

[Synthaholic]

The gripe that I have with the CFL lights is that they come in a multipack. When one of them burns out at about half its lifespan there is no easy way to return it for replacement or refund. Plus the fact that you have to hold onto the receipt.

 

[Uncensored2008]

You're correct in terms of Grid distribution (although it's used in places) -- but I'm talking about in the home wiring. One should only need to do AC-DC conversion say at the main breaker panel once. AC comes into the home -- gets conditioned as a SEPARATE inside wiring bus as 12Vdc or 24Vdc once. No more giant jumble of "wall warts" adapters for everything you buy. There IS some loss taken if the amperage on the DC wiring becomes high. But the savings in complexity and reliability is worth it.

Every CFL and LED replacement bulb has to have an entire UL approved AC-DC 120V switching power supply inside. Like having a complicated ballast for every bulb. This is a limiting factor for lifetime and contributes to the high cost. If we had DC power distribution in the home -- LED lamp design would simplify greatly.. Literally 4 or 5 simple components versus an entire PC board of magnetics, ICs and expensive caps.

What you say is correct, but it still means rewiring the house though, which is expensive and intrusive.

 

[Uncensored2008]

nobody is telling you what kind of light bulbs you can or can't buy. They are telling manufacturers what kind of light bulbs they can or can't produce.

Ah, the grand Bolshevik tradition.

We're not telling you to die, we're just telling you that you're not allowed to live....

 

[Uncensored2008]

This Christmas season I will be stocking up on old-fashioned string lights. I have yet to see them in the stores ... seen plenty of LED boxes though. But when I do, I'll be purchasing several boxes to store for the coming years.

Last season I noticed a lot of the homes in my area, going back to the old-fashioned string lights. One house on my road was adorned in LED string lights and it was God awful! I hate the blue light they give off and his damn house stuck out like a sore thumb.

Not me.

I hate the old fashioned lights. My LED's work every year. I pull them out, put them up, turn them on.

No more spending hours finding the dead bulb and randomly having strings go dark.

LED rocks, well worth the investment.

 

[Old Rocks]

nobody is telling you what kind of light bulbs you can or can't buy. They are telling manufacturers what kind of light bulbs they can or can't produce.

Ah, the grand Bolshevik tradition.

We're not telling you to die, we're just telling you that you're not allowed to live....

Kind of like American Health Care Insurance companies.

 

[Flopper]

It's tough to deliver DC, not practical.

You're correct in terms of Grid distribution (although it's used in places) -- but I'm talking about in the home wiring. One should only need to do AC-DC conversion say at the main breaker panel once. AC comes into the home -- gets conditioned as a SEPARATE inside wiring bus as 12Vdc or 24Vdc once. No more giant jumble of "wall warts" adapters for everything you buy. There IS some loss taken if the amperage on the DC wiring becomes high. But the savings in complexity and reliability is worth it.

Every CFL and LED replacement bulb has to have an entire UL approved AC-DC 120V switching power supply inside. Like having a complicated ballast for every bulb. This is a limiting factor for lifetime and contributes to the high cost. If we had DC power distribution in the home -- LED lamp design would simplify greatly.. Literally 4 or 5 simple components versus an entire PC board of magnetics, ICs and expensive caps.

Sorry to disagree but imo a mains scourced d.c supply is a total waste of time. The transfer looses from ac to dc wether by TX or invertor are very high. I firmly beleive the way forward is free satanding individual power generation for each household with any excess being made available to a grid soley for industrial and commercial purposes. a lot depends on geographical location and the scource of the energy but to rely on a single grid system and convert AC to DC is madness.The biggest problem the States is imo ( I am in Ireland) is the totally daft low voltage 110-120 volt system in use which in effect doubles the current for a pre rated appliance, the states need to up the voltage before even thinking about any energy saving ideas ( sorry wrong quote)

I agree. Also having both an ac and dc wiring system would be impractically. As would retrofiring a 100 millions homes in the US.

 

[Flopper]

nobody is telling you what kind of light bulbs you can or can't buy. They are telling manufacturers what kind of light bulbs they can or can't produce.

Ah, the grand Bolshevik tradition.

We're not telling you to die, we're just telling you that you're not allowed to live....

The US has long history of limiting the sales and manufacture of products that are not in the best interest of the country.

 

[Synthaholic]

nobody is telling you what kind of light bulbs you can or can't buy. They are telling manufacturers what kind of light bulbs they can or can't produce.

Ah, the grand Bolshevik tradition.

We're not telling you to die, we're just telling you that you're not allowed to live....

The US has long history of limiting the sales and manufacture of products that are not in the best interest of the country.

So simple, yet it eludes so many.

 

[mokechen]

I can get 2 bulbs at the dollar store.

 

[Synthaholic]

I can get 2 bulbs at the dollar store.

That's nice.

 

[Political Junky]

I can get 2 bulbs at the dollar store.

I bought the curly ones for 50 cents each. Saves lots of electricity. When they burn out I'll buy LED.