I use a mix of newer high efficiency halogens for reading lights and LED lamps for fixtures. You cannot beat LED for bright light and low energy use. I am opposed to phasing out Halogens next year. We can strike a balance. I have some concerns over the effects of LED light on the eyes, particularly when used for close reading. I have read some studies raising these concerns. The CFLs should be eliminated because they contain mercury. Most people wrongly throw them in the trash rather than follow the instructions to properly dispose of them due to the mercury. Many people don't bother with the effort to find places that recycle old CFL bulbs. I do hope we continue to make advances in LED lighting, including headlights which too often create a blinding bright glare for other drivers (myself included).
17
Show me the LED that's going to last 25 years. I've been transitioning to LEDs for the last six years, and their failure rate is about the same as incandescents – 3-5 years. I'm not sure where you get the one year replacement interval for incandescents; they invariably last longer. Clearly LEDs use much less current, but let's not make the LED the end all and be all – it is not.
10
LED lighting in cold storage facilities are great, reducing energy costs because of the lower heat these lights generated that had to be removed by the refrigeration systems. They are also instant ON unlike HID types which start dim and take a while to glow bright or Fluorescent which simply would not turn on in a freezer. In large cold stores LEDs can be programmed to turn on above a forklift leaving the rest of the cold store in the dark, and following the forklift down the racking ailse with light and turning it off behind - very efficient.
Unfortunately for vaccine storage cold rooms, WHO, UNICEF, PAHO and many other world health agencies required incandescent lighting because they do not emit UV light radiation that damages vaccines as Fluorescent and LEDs do. In my last year in the business it was very hard to source appropriate incandescent fixtures and bulbs. They never accepted LEDs with UV filters. I wonder if their requirements have been updated.
7
The danger of LED lighting is that its affordability leads to more careless use and the growth of light pollution. Our overuse of light has negative affects on our own health, migratory birds & other animals and our ability to see the night sky.
For your own benefit, invest in low temperature lighting (which lessens almost all these affects), and don't overlight indoors or outdoors.
14
I have never seen a CFL have a life anywhere near what is claimed. I started dating them because so many failed. Many CFLs contain mercury, leading to disposal problems. Finally, CFLs have a low "power factor", as low as 0.5. At a 0.5 power factor, the utility needs to generate 30 watts of power to support a 15 watt bulb. For those doing this for the environment, CFLs were never a good idea. With affordable LEDs, the choice is clear.
9
My electricity bill (PG&E) dropped by around 300$ a month after I replaced all [maybe 50] my 'old' bulbs for the new ones. Had to argue with my wife because of the color issue, but luckily now, we have LED bulbs with soft colors. Cant argue with such a fantastic rate of return on the financial front. The biggest obstacle was convincing my wife..
6
I’m just so happy to no longer here the droning on of the late/non-adapters about the over-reach of government, and how you’ll have to pry the incandescent bulbs out of their cold, dead hands...
3
Who would buy anything but an LED bulb?
Before I had my leg amputated a year ago, I replaced all my overhead bulbs with LEDs (I'd already done so elsewhere in the house). It's doubtful that doing so will save me money, especially considering my current health and age, but not needing to replace them, ever, (and I'd be arrogant and dumb enough to try to) will reduce my odds of a debilitating fall.
Some time ago I'd gone to a Home Depot to buy the unconventional looking Philips LEDs, the ones that looked two dimensional but produced even light. They'd been steeply discounted a week before and a store clerk told me they'd been discontinued and hundreds of them had been thrown away. I suppose too many found their different look off putting.
3
I've replaced most incandescent bulbs, but find even the "warm" LEDs and fluorescent bulbs much too harsh in any lamp with clear or white glass or fabric shades. It's possible to warm things up by using lamp shades in warmer tones, but it's not feasible everywhere.
Also see this article from one year ago, how people in Rome feels about LED street lights: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/world/europe/rome-streetlights-led-lights.html
The industry needs to solve these problems instead of asking us to pretend that it doesn't exist.
9
The cold white LED lights seem to be cheaper, especially in the high output sizes. We can now make LEDs in any color (ie the new OLED TVs). Don't blame the technology for a government's bad choices.
1
'... find even the "warm" LEDs and fluorescent bulbs much too harsh in any lamp with clear or white glass or fabric shades.'
You could be missing the infrared radiation (heat) that you feel from incandescent bulbs. The first time I used a CFL in a reading lamp, it felt cold -- that's because I was used to feeling the heat radiated by an incandescent bulb.
'... how people in Rome feels about LED street lights: ...'
It's difficult to be sure from the photos in the article, but the LEDs appear to have a daylight spectrum -- that's probably why people don't like them outside at night. The article should have reported the *color temperature* of the lights.
2
The proverbial "better light bulb" is better only if two things come with it: 1) Quality control -- many LED bulbs are one step above junk -- and 2) Good marketing. The importance of marketing was underscored by the experience my father, a researcher for GE who helped develop the "Energy Miser" bulb in the wake of the early 1970's energy crisis, learned the hard way: https://virtualgrowlery.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-better-light-bulb.html
3
The terminology in the first graph is confusing. Electric "demand" is the highest instantaneous load placed on a power system by a device or a home, and is measured in kilowatts. It is not energy use, which is measured in kilowatt-hours, which is probably what the writer meant. It would be good if that graph were clarified. Either the terminology or the units is wrong.
2
The graph is 3 years old. LED has completely won. There is no need for laws, etc as almost every light you can purchase, to stadium lighting to roadway lighting, vehicle lighting - it's all LED.
A silly article using old data.
5
If only Trump and his ragtag Republicans had more buddies in the LED and renewables sector than the incandescents and fossil fuel industry. Same happens here in Australia - who you know trumps all.
2
We're seeing the trees again here. Let's step back and look at the forest.
The simplest, smartest, fastest, and most independent and un-coerced personal choice is precisely what the Republicans ought to endorse. Every voluntary replacement of an inefficient technology with an efficient cost-saving one represents personal liberty, self-interest, and thrift. Instead, they are fighting to suppress consumer understanding, preserve the right of suppliers to encourage waste, and promote climate change.
It isn't "energy efficiency advocates" driving this change. It's people who want to save money. They can see as never before the bottom line effects of these simple, smart decisions in their lives, homes, buildings, and companies Anyone trying to stand in their way is suppressing data. Anyone ignoring measures like this is a loser in the markets.
The true beauty of this is how perfectly it strips the Right of their usual defenses. They claim to be tough-minded, selfish, Randian me-firsters who want to have their cake and eat it too. But when they elevate their deliberate stupidity to a political cause and waste as a statement, they squander money, sacrifice competitiveness, and lose.
Want to see capitalism working? Here is is.
4
The path to a low carbon world is a number of small steps such as LED light bulbs, smart grids, electric transportation vehicles, solar, wind, etc. As long as we have greedy troglodytes such as trump and his republican party in control, this will not happen.
Much ado about virtually nothing. Lighting, even from incandescent bulbs, is a negligible portion of your electric use. Heat, air conditioning, major appliances and the like make up roughly 90% of the average electric bill. Google it. And the difference between fluorescent and LEDs? We’re literally talking about pennies. And no impact environmentally.
But never let the facts get in the way of a pro-Green, anti-Trump story, right?
2
Well, LEDs and halogens made a much bigger difference in my electric bill and reported usage than you claim it should have, about 30% reduction overall annualized. The environmental impact of CFLs is their improper disposal as they all contain mercury, which you seem to have ignored.
***
Is there anything else you'd like us to ignore about these concerns?
1
Cheap bike helmet lights that shine directly into a pedestrian's eyes, car headlights that require eye shades to drive at night, cheap security lights with the neighbor's back yard lit up like a parking lot or a maximum security prison, cheap street lights bright enough to read by, leds are wonderful.
6
The purchase of LEDs and CFLs are subsidized by our local electric utility - AEP. Of course the subsidies are paid for by slightly higher electric rates. So the well to do who can afford to replace perfectly good incandescent light bulbs will do so, with poorer folks subsidizing their purchases.
1
LED bulbs look just as good as incandescents (better, in many cases), are now almost as inexpensive up-front, last forever, and use a tiny fraction of the power. They pay for themselves in less than a year in many cases. How can they be at only 14%?
One guess: in a lot of cases, such as renting or having staff maintain things, the person deciding on the bulb is not the person paying for the energy, so incentives may not be aligned properly.
In movies in the future, stories set in the 2010s will be known as The Age of Ugly Lighting. The beauty of the light shone by one of Thomas Edison's light bulbs compared to the depressing light cast by compact fluorescent bulbs is extraordinary. Hopefully, LEDs will someday get back to Edison levels of light quality.
9
Less electricity use might mean less need for burning fossil fuels- especially coal-to generate it which would be very bad for one of Trumps’ core constituencies (coal mining industry & employees) and so lessen his chances of re-election.
1
LED bulbs are claimed to last a very long time - but the ones I've used have typically failed within a much shorter time.
I've since read that while the LED might not burn out like the old incandescent filaments, the electronics to drive the Light-Emitting Diode are sensitive to heat and should not be vertically above the source of light, i.e. not in a bulb inserted vertically into a ceiling socket, as this would reduce the life.
Yet in my observation this is how most LED bulbs are used.
Later types - the flat panel LED - where there is no 'globe' - might be better but I've yet to see.
I do however like the instant on - and one cheap 44W fluoro-replacement LED strip I got for our kitchen is like a blaze of glory - useful for looking for specs of dust behind the fridge !
2
I replaced all incandescent bulbs of the old fashioned A base type to the subsidized LED ones a few years ago, cutting my overall electric bill by at least 30%, without sacrificing any quality or quantity of the light. The remaining bulbs that I could not replace are the miniature halogen bulbs typical in many late model fixtures over the last 15 years, and if I turn the seven halogen bulbs on at once they need two or three times the power required by all the LED bulbs in my house, hugely wasteful and expensive in comparison.
If there is no requirement for manufacturers to comply, we will never be able to cut our energy consumption significantly, as described in this article, a huge loss. Changing our light bulbs is such an easy way to reduce carbon footprint, in comparison to say, changing our driving habits, reducing heating or cooling, etc.
1
'if I turn the seven halogen bulbs on at once they need two or three times the power required by all the LED bulbs in my house'
halogen bulbs were a scam - sold to the consumer as 'low voltage' or something so the unsuspecting thought it would save energy costs.
NOT SO ! In Australia we saw installations of 20 recessed halogen fittings under kitchen and lounge room cabinets, each of 50W - so total 1000W - that's a bathroom heater ! Plus any extra power/heat from the 12V transformers they used.
This comparison shows a 50W halogen bulb rated at 300 lumens output suggests less light than a 5W LED bulb rated at 400 lumens - https://www.bunnings.com.au/compare?products=4320444,0013248,
Tho' at $10.90 for an LED and $1.29 for a halogen, that's a lotta electricity to payback. Let's see - price difference $10.90-$1.29=$9.61 - my electricity costs 23c/kWh so that's nearly 42kW to save before payback, and at 50W-5W=45W saving that over 900 hours before payback. Hmmm. Hopefully they're not in heat enclosures that fry the electronics which kill the LED ...
The halogen claims 2000 hours life, the LED 'up to' 15,000 hours. Uh - 'up to' includes 'zero' ...
1
The figures are well and "good" obviously under laboratory conditions. However, I have had halogen replace my under cabinet florescent in the kitchen and then convinced to upgrade to LEDS, which I did. The article states LEDS will last 26 years - I guess under laboratory conditions but certainly not in my under cabinet conditions. I have had to replace my under cabinet LEDS twice in the last 5 years. These are puck shaped LEDS and they were installed per directions on the box by an electrician. I am pretty well disgusted by now. Needless to say, I am not enamored by the idea or the product!
1
Most LED bulbs cannot be used in an enclosed light fixture. Using an LED bulb in an enclosed light fixture can cause the bulb to overheat, damaging both the bulb and the light fixture. A majority of lightbulb companies have a warning on their boxes, but some put the warning on the lightbulb which is not easy to see.
4
I've also had a number of LED "light bulbs" fail with a year or two when used in "base up" orientation. I think the heat fries the supporting circuitry.
Can't explain that. I have 30 of them in my kitchen; I've replaced one in two years.
1
Incandescent and fluorescent bulbs (perhaps halogen also) are even more subject to this limitation, since they produce far more heat (the limiting factor in an enclosed fixture) per watt used or per lumen produced than LEDs.
1
Our new house is solar powered, all lights are warm and cold LEDs, heating/cooling is managed by an inverter heat pump, and the water heater is hybrid, using heat pump technology. My total monthly energy bill (gas + electric) is $16-20 per month. The electric bill is for the monthly administrative fee. The solar system pays for itself in seven years. We are mostly immune to changes in fees charged by utilities.
Incandescent bulbs are better at heating than illuminating.
Energy independence policy, if you can call it that in the US, is incoherent and nonsensical.
12
If you are looking for warmer light from an LED, check the color temperature on the packaging. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K). Warm white light usually comes from LED bulbs measuring from 2000K to 3000K. I find lights rated between 4000K and 5000K to produce very cold, unpleasant light.
When buying the newer style light bulbs, I suggest you consider investing the same amount of time you would when you buy a small appliance. Incandescent bulbs were throw away items. You will live with your LEDs for many years before they need to be replaced. Therefore it is worth investing just a bit of time to understand the different between color temperature (Kelvin) and lumens, which is a measure of the amount of light emitted.
3
I'll never forgive the Bush 43 administration for the massive death, suffering and destruction they caused in the Middle East, some of which is still going on.
But they did get at least 3 things right, and this is one of them. It's always baffled me why we were still using highly inefficient incandescent technology (about 95% of the energy goes toward heat, not light) more than 100 years after it was invented. Their decision to phase incandescent out over time forced the R&D folks to perfect LED technology after the shortcomings of CFLs became better known (time to full brightness and only one harsh color).
LED, with it's instant on and color options are a modern miracle. Now they have the challenge of getting the price of the "dimmable" lamps to a more affordable level.
We've switched out more than 2/3 of our lamps in our house to LED, and nearly 100% of those used on a regular basis. Which helps my anxiety as my wife often leaves lights on in a room that she might leave for an hour or more.
Oh, and the other 2 things the Bush 43 admin got right? Fighting HIV in Africa and planning the phase out of the wasteful and dangerous space shuttle program so the money could be spent on actual science & exploration.
2
Imagine a world in which every “old school”, incandescent bulb was replaced with a LED. Running the entire planet on renewable energy would be within reach.
5
Hi Here in the UK you can only purchase LED replacement lights now and a considerable number of cities have replaced there street lighting for directional LED lights which has reduced costs light pollution and improved road safety
21
Not quite. You can still buy halogen and compact fluorescent bulbs easily in the UK, it is just incandescent bulbs you can't get.
The lower the Kelvin color temperature of the bulb, the less blue light is emitted. I use only 2000 to 2200 Kelvin LEDs a few hours before bedtime.
Blue light inhibits melatonin production. We know melatonin is needed for a good night's sleep. Decreased melatonin production may also be a broader health concern, per the National Institute of Health articles below:
Mechanisms of Melatonin in Alleviating Alzheimer’s Disease. (2017) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5652010/#!po=4.89865
Melatonin: an inhibitor of breast cancer. (2015)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25876649
Significance and application of melatonin in the regulation of brown adipose tissue metabolism: relation to human obesity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20557470
I've even found LEDs on the market that emit no blue light - as shown on their wavelength graph on their company websites. LED night lights are also now available that emit no blue light.
This article makes me think of the episode of Last Man Standing when they treated illegal bulb purchases like a drug deal.
I am tired of being forced to use Mercury containing bulbs that break and spread poisonous Mercury fumes in our homes.
4
This energy-saving revolution would be great if (a) the new bulbs weren't too big to fit in half of my lamps & fixtures, and (b) regular recycling would take them. They don't last anywhere near as long as advertised, they cost a fortune, and some are labeled unsuitable for use in enclosed fixtures.
I often think this is just a scheme to force everyone in America to buy new lamps and fixtures.
3
LED is a great invention and revolution.
You don't see everyday a light source won Nobel Prize.
3
We completely switched our incandescent bulbs over to LEDs after one of our pets knocked over a lamp and almost set the house on fire ...
It was kind of costly at the time, but we haven't had to change out a light bulb in over three years and won't have to for at least another seven ...
It's inconceivable and pretty disheartening that anyone could consider slowing the process of nationwide transition to what is a clearly superior technology
...
3
I love incandescent bulbs. Please don't take them away!
8
I love longwave radio, rotary dial, telegrams, Minitel (don't ask), MSDOS, diskette readers, 28K modems, analog photography... But that's just nostalgia. It feels good to remember good old days, that does not mean technology has to stop improving.
3
I came to use LED's reluctantly. But now I won't go back. Another benefit of LED's they don't get hot. Therefore, in warm climates you use less AC. Plus you don't get burned by a hot bulb!
5
Why do we need the government to tell us what light bulbs to buy and use?
Do people really buy into this?
How dumb have we become?
3
Because individuals seem disinclined to consider the negative impact their repetitive, unreflective behaviors -- when multiplied by millions and tens of millions of other unthinking individuals -- have on our environment.
In this case, government is well-positioned to encourage fixes that, when implemented across our entire society, will help us move towards a better future.
6
All this.... and bigger cars. Some revolution!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/business/suv-automakers-fuel-economy-new-york.html
2
Mr. Silcox said, even if it would “disrupt retail terribly.”
Terribly? That's hyperbole, to say the least.
Lightbulbs are very small purchases. Let's on with it, and switch completely to the better technology.
1
Let us hush this cry of the perfect cost-effective lamp until a light more efficient than the incandescent light bulb and far less toxic than the LED light bulb exists and is mass produced. There are serious toxicity hazards with the use of LED bulbs, which contain arsenic, lead, and other toxic substances. Moreover, scientific studies indicate that the use of LED lighting impairs vision. Your article closes with a quotation of a senior scientist, at the Natural Resources Defense Council, whose enthusiasm for LED bulbs is unstinting. Given that the subject of this article is relevant to everyone, would the article not have been more useful if the scientific and energy experts quoted were not limited to individuals who think the LED bulb a greater gift to humankind than that given us by Prometheus? An article entitled, America's Light Bulb Revolution, should not conclude with the claim that LED light bulbs "work great,'' but with the admonishment that if present-day LED light bulbs replace incandescent light bulbs altogether, then, for the sake of our health, the revolution necessarily will have to continue.
7
It is interesting in that regular incandescent bulbs were considered harsh and irritating in the past...being used to candlelight and they can be considered a bit overpowering. GE came out with the "soft white" bulb to reduce the intensity.
LED bulbs are just way better overall as they can be made in numerous colors with varying spectra of output. Changing the transition would just be dumb as the energy saved is very important.
I have 100% LEDs in my house now after phasing them in over the last 10 years as my CFLS bought from 2005-2010 have burnt out. LEDS have gotten quite a bit cheaper in the past 5 years, and have better quality than ever before (waaaay less early failures, and less odd behaviors like sudden color shifting/partial failing). It's been great having so few lightbulb changes too. It used to be a monthly chore to go through the house and change a dozen lightbulbs; buiying lightbulbs used to be something you'd got as regularly as laundry soap! Now I replace a bulb every month or so as my first generation ones (that didn't fail early) are starting to come to an end of their advertised lifespan. I stock up on a handful of fresh LEDs once a year. I am surprised that most people have just replaced incandescent with halogens (which are nearly as hot and inefficient!). I never would have considered an hot, temperamental halogen as a suitable replacement. If they are to be phased out of home use, then good riddance!! People need to move on.
I hope the dim bulb currently hanging at the apex of the US government is replaced soon. That bulb with its distinct orange glow and intense heat is not shedding much light and instead consuming undue amount of nation’s energy. There is ample empirical evidence that this outdated bulb, which insists on lit by coal based electricity, is inimical to energy efficiency and the nation’s environmental health. Anyone who can come up with an idea to replace that hot yet dim orange bulb with a cool and brighter bulb that will illuminate the darkest corners in the US is worthy of a Nobel prize.
20
I'm 77; I get to the light bulb aisle, a full length choice of light bulbs, full of initials, names, and claims of being the best. Which to believe? It what does equal to 756 watts, lumens or whatever mean? Not easy, if even possible to return to the store if I've bought the wrong one: too bright and cold, doesn't work with dimmer, so I buy the familiar, one I know will work.
6
I'm all for spending more on creating, subsidizing and promoting energy efficient technologies. In this case, it seems the market has managed to take care of any further needed progress. There will always be an odd application here or there for specialized lighting that doesn't meet generic standards. It may be an artistic, scientific or industrial application. I'm against just about anything else the Trump administration does, but I am fine with this change. I think the impact will be very negligible in the end, so long as manufacturers are required to clearly display efficiency and durability information.
Btw, the power industry got to practically double their residential rates in the late 90's when electricity was deregulated. Of course they knew LED would eventually replace halogen lights. Moral of the story, the electric companies already got their pound of flesh out of the consumer with deregulation that spurred zero power generation competition. LED is here to stay - buying halogen is ridiculous. LED is basically an economic development plan, a good one.
2
Incandescent lamp generates 16 lumens per watt, whereas, LED generates 150 lumens per watt. Further, the former's energy creates 5% visible light and 95% heat. Thereby, it is used in heat lamp over those crispy fried chicken thighs and drumsticks , lava lamp, industrial infrared, poultry incubators and brooding boxes and reptile tanks. Light is light for me. Maybe my retinal rods can not differentiate light emitted by traditional bulb from LED's in contrast to other folks who may have.
I'm all for energy savings, but there's a price to be paid with the switch to CFLs and LEDs. The nature of our lighting has changed from pleasant to harsh, and while I'm no scientist, I'm aware of the many studies showing the physical toll fluorescent lighting takes on the body's nervous system; I have no doubt that LED bulbs, blindingly bright and unforgiving as they are, will prove to be equally harmful in their own way. I would lobby hard for the industry to do all it can to develop energy efficient bulbs that replicate some of the softer, more pleasing and more natural qualities incandescent lighting offered. Otherwise, our LED-lit future looks very blue.
9
You can find natural or other colored LEDs and CFL. They cost a bit more, but there are out there in the market place if you really need the old incandescent light color.
By the way, I wonder if one of the big objections to using electricity for lighting was that incandescent light bulbs didn't give off the soft glow of a whale oil or kerosene lamp?!?
3
You need to be very particular about which brand of LED bulb you buy. There's a CRI rating (Color Research Institute) which if it's 90% or better will ensure you get an LED with good color balance. I've filled my house with ones from Green Creative with a 90 CRI rating, 3000 K color temperature, and they're entirely pleasant to live with. I returned some cheapies I bought at Home Depot; color was awful, with a spectrum like that of a bad fluorescent. They draw 1/5 the power of the halogens they replaced. I figure when it's time to sell, a house with LED lighting will have an advantage in the market over one without it.
1
I have a very old house. Despite having spent $20,000 on electrical rewiring there are remaining issues. Those bulbs do not last for 5 years in my house. I've already replaced several but they charge you as if they last forever. They are better than those awful fluorescents that you cannot see to read by. But for me I cannot brag about savings.
And I find the lumen/brightness equivalent ratings to be overly optimistic but I have elderly eyesight.
6
Unfortunately, I need an incandescent bulb for my lava lamp. A LED bulb does not produce sufficient heat to melt the colorful wax that goes up and down in the lamp.
I find that with LED bulbs, I am less likely to fanatically turn off lamps in room that are not occupied. This offsets some of the efficiency savings.
5
I would hope a way to shape light bulb use patterns, rather than effectively ban incandescents, can be found. Maybe something like CAFE standards for the auto industry.
Sometimes the incandescent really is the best choice. All light bulbs (including LEDs) convert most of the energy they consume into heat. If you are paying to heat a space, and especially if you are using electricity to do it, there is absolutely no net energy savings in using a more efficient light bulb. If a room requires 2000 watts of heat to be comfortable, it doesn't matter where those watts come from, and your thermostatically controlled heater will simply run less if there are other heat sources in the room.
Incandescents are cheap, have the lowest environmental impact for manufacture and disposal, have a manufacturing infrastructure in place, and provide the most pleasant light.
In my own SF Bay area home/crafts studio, the general lighting is LED or fluorescent, which will be replaced by LEDs when they are used up. The bulbs for reading and desk lamps, and work bench lighting are changed seasonally, getting incandescents for heating season (roughly October through May), and LEDs of CFLs for the rest of the year.
Two things: First off, hardly any heating gets done with electricity because it is terribly expensive and inefficient in comparison to natural gas heating or any other type of fuel based heating. A natural gas power plant is about 38% efficient in converting BTUs of natural gas to BTUs of electricity. Natural gas heaters are nearly 100% efficient (most all the heat produced goes into the space being heated!). So any BTU of electricity used for heating requires nearly THREE times the natural gas as a natural gas heater. So if a room requires 2000 watts of heat to be comfortable, either you can burn 2000 watts of natural gas in a natural gas heater, or 5260 Watts of fossil fuels at a power plant to produce your 2000 watts of electricity. Big difference.
As for light quality, there are plenty of LED bulbs available that provide the exact same color/quality of an incandescent (Personally, I prefer daylight lighting to bring out the rich colors within my home, but if you like the yellow tinge of incandescents, there are tons out there some of which have very good light quality).
"All light bulbs (including LEDs) convert most of the energy they consume into heat."
Wrong!!
I don't know where you got that idea from, CFLs only convert about 10-20% of the energy into heat; compare to 90 for the incandescents. Some LEDs are better. The article even gives the comparisons in a little chart half way through the article.
An incandescent light bulb would only be the best choice if you needed the heat from the lamp in addition to the light. Even then, a large, efficient heater would still be better!
1
Yes, it is true that converting natural gas to electricity and then using that electricity for space heating incurs conversion and transmission losses, but In California, much of our energy comes from hydro, wind and solar, which are renewables, and necessarily manifests as electricity. The quality of the light is largely a matter of taste. The great value of using incandescents during heating season for me is having 300-400 watts of radiant heating at my workbenches, desks, and other task stations, which allows me to dial back the general space heating, or not use it at all on borderline days. Even in the winter incandescents make up less than 20% of my lighting-- the economy of LEDs is undeniable.
I'm not at all arguing against continuing progress in lighting technology, only that incandescents not be legislated completely out of existence. There are some places where they work better, and are more or less energy consumption neutral when considered within the total energy use in a space
When we moved last, in 2013, we installed LED's throughout our house, over 50 hi-hats, and an immense no.of candelabra bulbs. Compared to the previous occupants bills, our Kwh usage was down 50%. We installed a 10Kwh solar array on our roof in 2014...which after the Federal tax credit will pay for itself by 2027 (at 11 cents/Kwh). Now if I could only get rid of the natural gas!
If cities were really serious about being green, they would change their building codes to stop natural gas being installed in new housing. Make all new housing units have access to solar power and battery storage...essentially micro-gridding any new development. Obviously all new construction would only have LED's.... and all electric appliances, heating and cooling. By the way Induction cooking is faster (and better) than a gas stove! My all electric faux-fireplace looks great and warms!
None of these new houses would be an "explosion risk" due to wioldfires or gas leaks/faulty installation by the Utility company.
Lets move society into the future and build housing that is efficient and takes advantage of natural sun-power, which is essentially free!
4
If you source all your electricity through solar/wind, then go all out for electrical based everything. Where most people live, natural gas is what is used to produce a substantial amount of the electricity and it is far more efficient to use natural gas directly when heating things (dryers, ovens/stoves, heaters) than to convert that natural gas to electricity (in which case, about 62% of the natural gas energy is wasted). Until we build out our commercial scale renewables to be nearly all of our power, it makes zero sense to use electricity instead of natural gas when heating stuff!!
@Jim
If a new development is micro-gridded (+ storage) then it makes no sense to install a leaky natural gas system!
In Reno (according to my bill), NVE generate 50% of their electrical energy from Natural Gas - surely their giant instant on and off modern generating system is a far more efficient system to burn gas (thermal usage), than individual household gas heaters at the end of a leaky pipeline many miles away. I know that there are energy losses when transmitting power, but these are only estimated at around 5%. With a microgid array powering 400 or 500 houses the transmission losses would be negligible. The storage requirement is to allow for peaking and smoothing out the usage.
Under theses conditions it makes zero sense to use natural gas!
What a great technology and just at the right time. 90% of my home has led bulbs and it has cut my electric bills.
3
Responding to Dr. Davis' comments, saying "there's nothing else like that [switching to LEDs from incandescents]": going from an average vehicle (24mpg) to an electric car (100+mpge) also reduces pump-to-wheel energy use by around 80%, and it's a much bigger piece of your total energy consumption than lightbulbs. If lightbulbs are a no-brainer, so are electric cars.
2
One of the most 'American' stories I've come across on this light bulb issue was in USA Today when CFL's were first becoming available. There was a single guy breathlessly talking about how he was going through and replacing all the incandescents in his 5000 SQ.FT. HOUSE with CFLs. One person living in 5000 sq. ft., excited about a more ecological lighting alternative. Priorities I guess.
As a side note, the statistics (and maybe regulations?) deal with 'bulbs' that fit into sockets. LEDs have also made serious inroads with dedicated fixtures that likely shift the balance even further in their favor.
2
Scientific American has an article titled, "The Dark Side Of LED Lightbulbs" that is worth reading - they are not as Green as claimed!
Are LED bulbs worth it? In addition to installing Solar Panels, I have replaced all lighting with LED bulbs and would recommend them.
Do they last longer? Yes and no. LED bulbs generate a lot of heat and if they are poorly designed and have an inadequate heat sink, they will fail.
What would I recommend to a new buyer? If you go by what the package claims "Equivalent to a 60 Watt Bulb" the lumens will be on the low side and you will be disappointed. Instead, pay attention to lumens and go with LED's in the 1000 plus range, you will be a lot happier!
Also pay attention to the bulbs color range/spectrum - I like bulbs that are higher in the spectrum - closer to the spectrum that the sun produces. So called "Warm" spectrum bulbs can have more yellow color and be dimmer than what I like.
Are LED bulbs energy efficient? Last month, my electric bill was $72 dollars. I used a total of 604 kWh compared to the average 805 kWh home in my area and the 897 kWh national average.
FYI: I have replaced a total of 32 bulbs with LED for an estimated savings of $148 per year. It will take several years before I see a payback!
1
I was never a fan of CFL-awful color and you can't dim them. I wasn't too keen on LED's either until I recently received a multi-color LED as a gift. It completely changed my opinion. Not only can I select different shades of white, including warm white which mimics the warm light from an incandescent but I can also dim them and choose colors such as yellow or a mix. It's soothing to set the lamps to a soft yellow to watch TV by. Another perk is wifi enabled LED's allow me to set up timers on my bulbs and control them remotely. I never thought I'd switch but I'm glad I did. My electric bill also is better these days!
3
The White LED is one of the shining examples of scientific perseverance, technological development and consumer adoption of the modern era. It should be taught in physics, engineering and business schools and government classes and analyzed for lessons and possible improvements. It look many frustrating decades (decades!) of effort (and funding) to even get a working prototype (2014 Nobel Prize). The new (expensive) technology entered one of the oldest, lowest-profit-margin technology markets (lighting) and maybe it did take government intervention to increase adoption but it's now finally reducing our energy consumption, carbon emissions and bringing smoke-free lighting to the third world. If you don't like the super-white ones there are now warm-white bulbs down to 2700K at your local hardware store for under $5 that last decades.
4
Had to give up on the new CFLs and LEDs. They seemed to give out a lot of light BUT - I couldn't see by their light very well. Where I used to have one incandescent bulb on I suddenly had to have FOUR new bulbs on in order to read or sew. Con Ed SWORE their new bulbs gave out the same lumens as the incandescents did. In real life use they sure didn't. And worse - they interfered with my radio and they made my TV unwatchable. The bulbs I bought from Home Depot were even worse. They quickly dimmed with use. They didn't last a year. And they ALSO interfered with my radio and TV. Not a fan.
5
"Last month, the Department of Energy said it would withdraw an Obama-era regulation that nearly doubled the number of light bulbs subject to energy-efficiency requirements."
Only in bizarro-world could an administration that claims to care about helping average Americans withdraw a rule designed to help people spend less money on electricity.
2
The rule does not help people spend less on electricity. Without it they can still buy the same replace lamps.
It just takes away choice, which is all of what the Left Wing is always about ... the end of freedom. It always has been, and always will be.
They are not preventing anyone from choosing LED. They are simply not forcing those of us who don't care for them to have a choice. The savings to the consumer is overrated and the quality of the light is vastly inferior to incandescent.
2
I have the perfect use for incandescent bulbs:
In the winter, I use a 40-watt bulb in a clamp fixture in my pump house to keep the supply pipe to my pressure tanks from freezing; without it, it freezes at night and won't work. The light goes on from about 4AM until 8AM every day, from mid-December to about mid-March. It would be overkill to actually heat the space, and using a heat lamp near the pipes would be very wasteful and expensive. I would get mugged if anybody in my family had to go out there and unfreeze the pipe every time with a hair dryer. Nope, a little 40-watt incandescent on a timer works like a charm, every year.
The goal was never to eliminate so much as use the tools as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Incandescents put out much more heat than light, so this is their best use. As for inside the house, we use LEDs and halogens. It's amazing how much my electric bill has gone down since I changed them out 7 years ago. Haven't had to replace one yet.
3
For information: A bit of heat tracing would work better for keeping pipes from freezing...it would be more efficient and have a thermostat to control the temp correctly.
3
Sort of on the same page, I have a reading lamp on the back porch. It's used mostly in the fall as the sun starts to set earlier. Having that bulb over my shoulder provide a little heat as well as light is my 21st century version of reading by the fireside.
Otherwise I'm all in on LED lights, especially when you factor in not having to change them.
3
Thanks! I'll check that out.
1
From the chart - I'm amazed that LED's are only 14%.
I haven't made a big effort to install the newest light bulb technology - but I did replace the old light bulbs when they died with new more efficient models over the last 25 years. My house now is 95% LED with a few last Incandescent and CFL bulbs left in closets.
Question: Will my grandkids know how to change a light bulb?
4
There will be videos on Youtube.
Using LEDs is a no brainer. They last much, much longer than incandescent bulbs and they're brighter. The lighting in our entire home is from LEDs. We'll never go back to incandescent light bulbs. That day is over. Period.
5
will a LED bulb generate enough heat to run my Lava Lamps, though?
2
LED Bulbs are very hot and as a result, they will fail if they have a poorly designed heat sink. Having a LED bulb in a enclosed area with poor circulation, like the base of a lava lamp, may not be good idea!
LED Bulbs run very hot. So much so that you shouldn't touch it after it has been on a while. In fact, some of the cheaper LED bulbs have inadequate heat sinks which would cause early failure!
You can Google the subject and learn more!
:)
Something I never see mentioned, although it is ubiquitous in LED bulbs, is that they produce RF noise in addition to visible light. I cannot have one near a radio because of this. This is true for the best US made brands, as well as the cheaper and shorter-lived Chinese imports. Old computers (with magnetic hard drives are also guilty.
3
It is unconscionable that an article comparing lighting options does not mention the mercury content of compact fluorescent bulbs. Many CFL bulbs are trashed rather than properly recycled when they fail, and the result is mercury (a potent neurotoxin) escaping into the environment and bio-accumulating in food chains. Fish in many of our nation’s lakes and rivers can no longer be eaten safely because of the mercury levels in their flesh. It is a shameful national tragedy. If you have old CFL bulbs, please contact your local recycling or household toxics disposal program, and they can advise on where you can take them. They are basically hazardous waste and we should treat them that way. I no longer buy CFLs—LEDs perform better and to the best of my knowledge do not have toxicity issues.
28
LEDs contain lead, arsenic, nickel and a dozen other potentially dangerous substances. If broken, it is recommended that gloves and mask be used!
1
I'd like to thank the Times for publishing this article, and the readers who commented for a lively and informative discussion. I learned a lot!
3
I appreciate this article because I was unaware of just how different the energy efficiencies of each type of bulb are, and last time I stood in the light bulb section I was overwhelmed by the choices. Now I know - LED all the way. Done! Such an easy choice to make once I understood.
2
I suspect that people who can't adapt to the newer LED bulbs would have bemoaned the passing of gas lamps or the warm light of candles in earlier times.
Only this time, the future of the planet is at stake!
9
On lasting. I have a couple of bulbs in the basement that were there before I bought the house in 1983. Yes, they aren't used as frequently as other bulbs but the other bulbs in the basement have gone out in the same amount of time and been replaced. They seem to be the really old clear type that had a reputation for lasting a long time.
What bothers me with LEDs are those that are used for outside decorations or signs or store fronts that create really bright light that is blinding and distracting as you drive by.
However like others I have replaced a lot of lights with LEDs. And I even got them free from the Mass Save program where they come to your house. Also there have promotions from time to time where the electric company is virtually giving away new bulbs. Between the bulbs and changing what was probably the world's must energy consuming television (it had 3 massive individual cathode ray tubes aimed at a mirror for a 16X9 TV) my electric bill was cut in half.
Large energy savings can be gained by small changes in our usage and appliance design.
For example, our homes are filled with devices (DVRs, refrigerators, microwaves, thermostats) with lights that never dim or go out. You can walk into my kitchen at night and see clearly, just from the glow of the various appliances.
It would be a simple change for manufacturers to program automatic dimming or turn-off into these products. But without the pressure from regulations, why bother?
The lightbulb usage shift shows that, phased in slowly, regulations to improve energy efficiency can maintain profitability and gain acceptance. Let keep going!
4
When we moved into our current home just over five years ago, we took the opportunity to replace the incandescent bulbs in the existing fixtures, and the CFL bulbs in the lamps we brought into the house, with LEDs, and I have yet to see a downside to the change. The lighting they put out matches what incandescent bulbs put out, and our electric bill is a fraction of what it was for the prior occupants of our house.
2
Two comments. First, I"m disappointed that we've not passed legislation to phase out the sale of traditional incandescent and CFL light bulbs. There's no reason to continue selling these products and what we know about climate change says we can't wait for market forces.
Second, the increase in electric vehicles is about to send this curve in the reverse direction. Prior to purchasing a Chevy Volt I was averaging 20 kWh/day at home. The Volt has a small battery by EV standards but my daily usage now approaches 30 kWh/day. If I had a Tesla or Nissan Leaf a Chevy Bolt my electric usage would have doubled. Take a moment to let that sink in... As fast as we are adding renewable energy to the mix it's not fast enough. The shift from gasoline to electricity is going to place a huge new demand on the grid. If we don't take steps now, the only way to satisfy this demand will be from coal or other carbon based sources.
2
Yes they have made a great difference, but reducing CO2 considering how the grid actually works is probably massively over stated.
Yes, but.
“When you take out incandescent light bulbs and replace them with LEDs, the amount of electricity you consume goes down more than 80 percent,” Dr. Davis said. “There’s nothing else like that.”
If everyone did this, and we could cut the amount of electricity we consumed by 80 percent, that would be massive. Enough to avert climate disaster? Almost certainly not. But would you rather have that extra bit of breathing room or not?
1
I am very pleased with the new generation of LED light bulbs. However, there are some things that don't get talked about:
1. If you think you're LED is gonna last 25 years you got another think coming. They seem to last more like two or three. They start to flicker and that's pretty much the end. Maybe you want to use a flickering light for another 20 years?
2. The fine art of cleaning your light fixtures used to go with changing the bulb. You'd empty out the dead bugs and wash off the dust. NOW YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THOSE BUGS PILING UP FOR YEARS. And something else: a dusty fixture transmits less light. In addition to the intrinsic deterioration of light output over time inherent to the bulbs, you've got dust.
3. There's the problem of the old curly cue fluorescents. For whatever reason a lot of women really don't like them, near as I can see from domestic life and talking to others. And they take a minute or two to get up to maximum brightness which is when said women REALLY don't like them. The result is that we have blown past the fluorescent age before most of the fluorescents had a chance to burn out. I have a bunch I don't know what to do with. They have mercury inside and they're perfectly good.
No matter what I do, insulate the house, change the bulbs, my utility bill stays the same. I guess that is progress of a sort, if it stays nominally the same it is getting cheaper. But it's NOT falling in nominal terms.
1
You know, I've replaced almost all my bulbs with LEDs almost 8 years ago, and haven't had one go out yet. No flickering, but then again I don't have any LEDs in fixtures that are controlled by dimmers. We use halogens for those 3 or 4 fixtures. If you have housecleaning anxiety about the dirt in your light fixtures, I have two suggestions:
1- They make a pill for that these days, and
2- Just clean them more often. I dust and clean my fixtures about once a month.
3
RE: " While consumers may replace an old refrigerator or dishwasher with an energy-saving model once a decade, "
I see expensive neighborhoods with large homes with landscapers and seemingly resident carpenters and painters where people probably replace "old" appliances when trends or colors or design patterns change, but I remember a time when an old appliance was replaced a generation or two after it no long could be repaired. Now, poorly made appliances almost require that you replace an "old" one every 5 - 10 years. Energy efficient or not it has a environmental and economic cost associated with its manufacture, shipping from the far east, distribution, delivery, and disposal of the old one.
6
Marie, thanks for highlighting the lack of durability of major appliances. My refrig, at 10 years old, is rapidly failing. No replacement parts available, so I'll need to buy another soon. When I bought it, I asked the dealer - which brand will last 20 years? His answer - none of them! I'd like to see durability ratings on consumer items. Tossing all this stuff so soon is incredibly wasteful.
4
If Trump has his way, we'll be making all our own appliances here domestically in a few years so import shipping concerns will be less of an issue.
To be perfectly fair LAS, my refrigerator is a really nice side-by-die that's about 15 years old. A friend gave it to me when he got a new one about 10 years ago. We've had it repaired once. We'll get at least another decade out of it, or so my repair tech thinks.
I think it's still true that you get what you pay for.
That install chart data is two years out of date. I bet more recent data shows a lot more LED adoption.
I used all CFLs (with some halogens on a few spotlights) for decades. But now finding decent warm temp LEDs for about $1 or less each, and to save a little more money on electricity, I just went around and got rid of most of the fluorescent bulbs in my home (most are 7-20 years old and on last legs). I will either recycle the CFLs at my local transfer station or, donate them to habitat as, they are still very efficient.
I did leave some 75 and 100 watt CFLs in little used basement ceiling lights. One fan can only use plug in CFLs (waiting for a LED version to be made). Also, one lamp. Why? Because the cheap LEDs I got, just would not fit the Edison socket for that lamp properly and work. Something to be aware of. If an LED does not work in one socket, test it in a different socket. All the LEDs were fine. Just that one lamp and the new LEDs would not get along. Yes, with the lamp off, I checked that the metal tab on the lamp socket bottom was making contact with the bulb base too…
One other thing that is happening: The incandescent people, like my 93 year old mom, have passed away or are passing away. She just liked those old bulbs, despite the higher cost to operate. Those bulbs ended up in the dumpster. And all the CFLs I put in her lamps that she pulled, I put in mounted fixtures in the basement and garage for the new owner.
1
But 3-way LED bulbs are $7.50 each (and work backwards). Outdoor LED floods are $14.00. At least 5x more. You're promised longer life but the CFLs sure didn't deliver. $100 worth of outdoor security lights will never pay for themselves as used very little.
1
LEDs have made great strides. Way better than the CFLs we used over the past couple of decades. Improved quality of light, dimmability, and even the ability to change colors. The only incandescents currently used in our house are in our ancient garage door openers, which require a special type of bulb.
2
My two incandescents are in the oven and the refrigerator, and between them are probably only powered up 24 hours a year. Cheaper and environmentally benign to leave them in place (will, the oven will be replaced in a few years as I switch my cooking over to electric. Natural gas is better than coal, but has to be shown the door, too.)
And how b fagan, is your electricity produced?
Since I switched almost all my lights to LEDs, my apartment's electric bill has fallen. Also, in the summer, the LEDs produce far less heat, allowing me to lower my air conditioner use.
I've given my unwanted CFL bulbs to my building, to be used in their fixtures.
2
One more thing Trump is doing to destroy our country. Why??
2
LED's can be made to emit any color. Consumers just have to make known what they want. Yes, I'm waiting for a certain "color temperature" to replace my ceiling can lights, and in the right pin configuration. It will come..eventually So, keep the pressure on the "industry" or they will stay lazy and not move fast enough to satisfy people.
1
Another mis-step by "industry" that has some players who are too lazy or stupid to figure it out. LED's are in broad use, and have been use for all kinds of applications, even decorative. They even have some that appear to be tungsten filaments for those decorative bulbs where that might be appealing).
There is something else behind this effort than just not wanting to make certain kinds of bulbs. The electrical power industry makes money selling power. The fact that Americans are using less electricity puts the lie to the electrical industry's insistence that they must build more power plants, or else. Not using the electricity is far more efficient and less costly than building power plants.
"consumers were already switching to highly efficient LED bulbs on their own, pointing to industry data that shows LEDs outsold all other types of bulbs for the first time in 2017."
So why does the industry start whining and want to slow this down? Consumers have shown they want the bulbs. Indeed there is a type of bulb I want, but cannot find and hope it comes out soon. "Industry" is just lazy and stupid in this regard. Stop being stupid and get on with it .
1
Please get the government out of making these decisions. Let the markets determine the best path. The government climate hoax is wasting enormous amounts of money and will cost millions of US jobs. It is scientifically proven that man has very little effect on the climate. We are actually in a cooling phase, not warming. The oceans are not acidic and the coast lines are not rising. In fact the South Pole is getting colder and accumulating more snow.
After the Soviet Union collapsed the communist needed another approach. They found that environmentalism and global warming (now climate change) were the perfect way to get control of power and government and usher in socialism. Ignore and delete these people.
3
By "the markets" do you mean the type of regulation-free world that:
- kept lead in gasoline and paint despite known toxicity,
- kept asbestos in various products despite known resulting cancer,
- puts toxic coal ash into unlined ponds near sources of drinking water,
- set up for-profit schools with fraudulent promises, hurting millions,
- polluted the air and water so badly that NIXON created the EPA and both parties signed off on clean air and water regulations
- led the oil industry, when warned in the 70s about climate change, to mount a disinformation campaign?
You're so funny.
We need regulations, but not too prescriptive. We need market forces, but not uncontrolled. We need to reduce energy use and especially fossil fuel consumption rapidly, using whatever works, since it's such a multi-faceted issue.
"The Market" left to itself, without regulation, simply demonstrates how greed can overcome responsible behavior.
8
Any reputable scientific studies backing up these assertions, or are they "true" simply because you wish them to be?
Right. That's what I thought.
5
The markets, if left to themselves, would NEVER have made this change without some gentle nudging, nor would they EVER have given the consumer the range of products now available. Market research done prior to this period showed for decades that consumers wanted these product choices because energy use was a concern, but industry just could not be shaken out of its inertia.
This is the right use of public policy and does not violate the "freedom" of our markets at all. Rather, it serves the public and protects us from the shortsightedness or outright greed of a few industry leaders, who can't seem think about anything except their bottom line. I and many others have no wish to live through another reign of Enron.
As for the rest, I just tuned it out and suggest other readers do the same.
2
"Horrible for retail." Right, you don't get to sell me a new bulb every year. I can see why that would bother a manufacturer. Not long ago, Gilette put out an ad encouraging men to change their blade more often -- they'd made the mistake of designing a blade that lasted too long!
3
Well, they fixed that little problem by convincing us that one blade wasn't sufficient to get the job done. Then two weren't. Then they made all but the multi-blade razors hard to find in stores.
This is what happens when beards become popular. The clean-shaven have to make up for the revenue loss.
1
The only people that I know who use Incandescent lights are really rich people who like the "warmth" (to fill their empty souls?)
Of course they are also super progressive and drive HUGE European SUV. Making fun of a mom with 4 kids in a minivan puling into a McD is better when driving alone in Porsche SUV and drinking a frappuccino (all sugar) .
Astonishing how many people see this as a bad thing.
2
I certainly don't miss burning my fingertips when reaching under a lamp shade to swtich off a light when accidentally touching the bulb. I also have LED shop lights over a couple of work benches and they are vastly superior to florescent tube shop lights.
2
Perhaps its personal preference or perception, but I have yet to find one of the new bulbs that makes a living area, like a living room or bedroom, look warm and homey like the old incandescent bulbs. Yes, I get the energy issue - a valid one, indeed - and these new bulbs work well in places like the kitchen, garage, hallways, etc. But, sorry, despite all the techno speak about color shifts, fidelity and saturation, my eyes don't lie - and I don't like the results to date. I know I'm not alone in this - my next door neighbors, for example, in a fit of wanting to save energy replaced every bulb in the home with new LED's; at night their place looks like an office, cold and harsh. They're ruing the money they spent.
25
You will want to get Soft White LEDs. They are much closer to the old incandescent bulbs. Stay away from Cool White and Daylight bulbs if you like a warmer color in your home.
35
Lightbulbs come in different colors. Try getting one with a warmer spectrum.
5
The spectrum of incandescents is broader, but mostly yellow/warm.
The LEDs are inherently narrow spectrum (now exciting just a few electrons, rather than heating entire filament to radiance).
I like the bright 'daylight' spectrum (good resolution/clarity), but find it does not fill the background, yielding a hollow void ambiance. So, i mix in some of the 'warm' LEDs, to get a fuller, pleasant background.
2
I have been suggesting for years that if the Girl Scouts would start selling compact LED and fluorescent lightbulbs (instead of those God-awful cookies!), the lightbulbs would find their way into countless American homes that would otherwise likely preclude their use owing to not knowing about them or for other reasons. Thank you for your article and I hope that it sparks more Americans to purchase the smart bulbs.
60
Stores do a fine job with selling LEDs - and they're where people look for bulbs when their old ones burn out. So having the shelves stocked with efficient ones takes care of the replacement.
Local power utilities are increasingly getting involved, too, as they've become the delivery side of generation instead of owning generation plus the wires. It's in their interest to reduce demand since it reduces the odds they need to expand their capital equipment and labor.
https://www.comed.com/waystosave/foryourhome/pages/singlefamily.aspx
So please don't mess with my annual cookie binge!
The bulbs are already finding their way in, and perhaps counter-intuitively, it's utilities driving the adoption. It's smart for suppliers of electricity to forego the costs of constantly adding capacity, and instead, to promote consumers being able to get a better return ion their energy expenses.
One word needs to be expunged from this whole discussion: "sacrifice". The Democrats' cardinal error here was framing this as a moral issue and suggesting that people needed to sacrifice as their duty. That's dead wrong. This is about spending less to get the same or better quality.
Are there any good ideas that haven't been soiled by this mob-boss/president?
2
Isn't it time for Michele Bachmann (http://www.startribune.com/bachmann-is-pro-choice-on-bulbs/17002506/) to make a reappearance?
2
The technology still has a way to go, especially in the ability to dim a lightbulb. Though they now sell LED bulbs which they claim are dimmable, they can be dimmed only slightly, maybe 20% at most. I've tried several brands and haven't found any that are truly dimmable. If you want a light that can be truly dimmed to 10% or less, incandescent are, unfortunately, still the best.
And the light from many LED bulbs is still way too harsh, cold, and artificial. Evidently this doesn't bother some, but I can't stand being in room with cold LED lights. And I know I'm not alone. This was never a problem with incandescents. I know there are warm LEDs but you can't trust descriptions like "warm" and "soft" on the package. You have to look at the kelvin scale--and be able to understand it.
I'm not a fan. Yet.
2
"And the light from many LED bulbs is still way too harsh, cold, and artificial. " LED's can be made any color. Consumers just have to demand what they want. it will come around.
I find the dimmable Philips to be really good. Not harsh at all vs many of the others. Have you tried these?
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-455840-Equivalent-2200K-2700K-Dimmable/dp/B00TZEB0Q0
Yea, but the warmer the less efficient.
This move by trump is as illogical as most of his policies. I use nothing but LED lighting and it paid for itself in less than a year, now my electric bill is a third of what it was previously.
2
I've had to learn a new way to buy light bulbs. In the incandescent era, things were simple: bulbs were sold by wattage, which told you how much light you were getting. Not any more.
The new way is to shop by lumens, indicating brightness, and color temperature, indicating warmth (like the old incandescent) or cooler (more like daylight). Watts used is useful, but you have to ignore the watt-equivalent number which attempts to match new-tech bulbs to the old incandescent world.
Having said that, I find it hard to find new bulbs that render the correct color match at times. I remodeled my kitchen in colors that look great under incandescent or halogen bulbs. I have yet to find LEDs that work. And the color of compact fluorescent bulbs is horrible.
2
Even the latest LED's can indeed very change the look of a wall paint color. I sympathize because it happened to me. For the dining room chandelier I tried _everything_ LED and gave up. Went to edison light style incandescents solely for that fixture. They are on one hour a day and the warm light is perfect for the space.
1
What this article does not do a great job saying is just how much better the latest generation of LED bulbs are to horrible compact fluorescent bulbs, which the market pushed heavily 5 years ago and jacked the prices up on. Worst bulbs ever.
Two things:
1. LED bulbs are inherently cold blue too -- so be sure to get warmer variants of LED bulbs when buying. They run cool to the touch which is great.
2. Incandescent bulbs may "only last a year" according to the article (debatable) but they are CHEAP by far versus other bulbs. Expect to see incandescents around simple because of that.
4
"LED bulbs are inherently cold blue too" LEDs can be made to emit any color. They are not "inherently blue." Some are just made that way for various reasons.
1
From the Dept of Energy:
"LED Emission Attributes: Individual LED dies, often referred to as chips, emit light in a narrow range of wavelengths, giving the appearance of a monochromatic source. LED lamps and luminaires combine multiple spectral components, which may be produced directly or through phosphor conversion, to create a mixture that appears white to the human eye"
In other words, there is no such thing as a true white LED. It is a mix (as you sorta say) bit the color mix by the bulb manufacturer can be quite off. Hence why so many first gen LED bulbs looked blue rather than white.
1
No. A cheap stock LED from three years ago is going to be blue tone. It was very hard to get a true white of them. Earlier gen LED bulbs were across the board cold tones. To be more specific if you look at CURRENT LED's the "bulb" is heavily colored yellow or orange. If they didnt do that, the LED's natural light would be blue cold tone. So you are sorta right, but you haven't been buying LED like I have been.
What's going to happen to tube fluorescent bulbs? I think they are energy hogs, but they provide a lot of light for certain applications. Will they be banned, too?
1
Many modern offices are constructed with large array LED's in the ceilings. They work well.
2
'What's going to happen to tube fluorescent bulbs? " I am already buying "tube" LED bulbs to replace the tubes in my garage fixtures. They work great. And getting rid of tube fluorescent bulbs will be great - they spew mercury when broken so are a definite health hazard.
2
I love my 4' tube LED bulbs.
I chose the 2700K color for my garage and patio.
The manufacturer emailed me to make sure that I wanted a bulb that had such a warm yellow color. I did.
I removed the ballasts on the old fixtures, made some wiring modifications (according to the enclosed directions), and now it's Sunset in Margaritaville when I turn those babies on. That's my application.
1
I seldom agree with industry, but this time I do. A superior and cheaper technology will always supplant an older and more expensive one without any regulation required.
Odd shaped and/or unique tungsten bulbs have their place as decorative items, and I don't know anyone who actually likes fluorescents, so both will gradually become marginalized just by market action alone.
2
I agree, mandates can be helpful to jump-start an industry, but there is no longer any need in this case. LEDs are superior and cheaper now in almost every use. Even for decorative bulbs, tiny LEDS woven into strands often make a better "edison" bulb than tungsten.
1
Its simple economics folks. I spent $500 replacing every incandescent bulb in my house with LED bulbs, three years ago. My electric bill went down by $50 per month, so a payback period of 10 months. In the last 3 years, I have had to replace not a single LED bulb.
63
Yes and now LEDs are so much cheaper, replacing every bulb in a house can often be done for $100 or $150.
As with any new technology, LED quality wasn't great at first but has improved dramatically. Failures are very rare now and the bulbs will last 10-20 years.
1
This is exactly why the lighting industry is pushing back. What was once a predictable steady income stream is significantly reduced by LEDs that last 10+years. If people are not buying new lights every few months it upsets the accountants.
2
you will replace the heat given out by the old bulbs by turning up your thermostat
5
Yes, but that electric heat is typically much more expensive than that provided by other sources and it is extremely expensive across the whole grid where it always impacts peak usage. Consider too that in many parts of the world less heat from bulbs means less air conditioning.
11
1. Air conditioning mayhap. For 50% of the pop. AC is pretty similar to heat.
2. Also please note oil and gas much more efficient heat than electric. As an Ill. Resident guessing your heat is oil or gas?
Agree it’s not a total loss using incandescent but in no way even 20% recovered in heat savings using incandescent.
1
Or not have to run your a/c so much to fight the heat.
1
I can't run some lighting with electronic ballasts, as they interfere with ham radio. The problem isn't the ham set, but that the lighting doesn't meet EMI/RFI specifications as required by the FCC. What's needed here is more regulation (rather than less) and enforcement to get these non-compliant lighting sets off the market.
I did replace all lighting with LEDS two years ago and noticed a 20% saving on electricity per month.
16
We replaced every single light source from a mix of traditional bulds and compact flourescents to all LED-lamps, and the energy savings has been enormous despite no change in light use. The initial investment has already been paid for.
Additionally, the LED bulbs produce a warm cozy light and turn on immediately, in contrast to compact flourescents. We are also increasingly using the versatility of LEDs to create all sorts of effects such as backlighting, illuminating ceiling mouldings, accenting artwork, putting in lights in closets (including the kitchen) and much more. Not going for LEDs is just silly.
24
The LED's last longer? In theory, but not as long as the ads and articles promoting same claim. I have never had one not burnout or quit WELL before the claimed decade or two of life. Most do last longer than the alternatives, but a substantial number die a tragic and expensive early death. Why do I have a sense of deja vu? Am I remembering the functionality of the early low flush toilets?
5
Maybe there's something wrong with your wiring. LEDs are touchy about having a good power source. None of mine have ever expired.
1
I, too, would suggest looking into your wiring or some other reason why you LEDs are giving out early. In my kitchen, for example, I have about 30 of those can lights (don't know what they're called -- they have a flat surface and are situated in a can-like surround). With incandescents, I was replacing one bulb every two weeks. I replaced the incandescents with CFLs and found myself replacing one bulb a month. I replaced the CFLs with LEDs and have replaced one bulb in two years. I must say my electricity bill is about the same as it was in incandescent days -- can't explain that, as we have a big house (15 rooms) and lots of lights, all now LEDs. For the fans of warm lighting, look on the box of an LED you're considering for a Kelvin rating of 2700. Worked for me.
I have an old house. I've spent $20,000 on wiring repairs and improvements but it's still problematic. Mine burn out as well. Even more aggravating when they are so expensive. You have my sympathy but I have no solution for you.
Add to the mix streetlights and the impact on the grid is huge. Older lights not only use more energy but also, because they are typically housed in dirty, bug-filled globes, provide far less light and light that is distributed all over the neighborhood rather than straight down. Properly installed LED streetlights are a win,win,win!
5
It is no surprise that the Trump Administration would want to slow down progress- in this area or anything else. Never in the history of the western world has there been a more backward, lunatic government.
In the meantime, LED bulbs have become incredibly cheap. I just bought four 100 watt equivalent ones for $10.00. They will probably last ten years.
If it were up to Trump, we'd be burning coal in our homes for heat.
76
I agree with oxfdblue. The Trump administration is trying to protect outdated technology. Let’s all pretend we can continue to waste power, burn coal and that climate change is a hoax.
I work in a locally owned hardware store that sells a lot of light bulbs. We have stopped carrying CFL bulbs because customers don't like them and because of the mercury. The old incandescent's used a lot of energy but they were bulletproof. The new LED's really lower your power bill, but they are finicky. If you live in a older house with wiring issues they can flicker, they need newer dimmers and those must be wired correctly, reversing the common and power leads in the wiring circuit can give a bulb that will faintly glow even when shut off. The life ratings are like EPA gas mileage, possible in the lab but no where else. Lastly, because this is a new industry, the designs are changing rapidly. When its time to replace your current LED you probably will not be able to find a bulb that looks like your current one, the designs will have changed.
With the Internet of Things you will soon be able to program when your lights come on, so you never have to come home to a dark house and even the color of the lighting in each room. Bright white when you are working on a project, and a warmer color when you just want to relax. As with all things internet, get a good security system because there really are bad people out there, and you could find all of your lights coming on at 3 am.
6
If you have common and ground reversed, you need to fix the house wiring, as it's a shock and electrocution hazard, to say the very least.
As for dimmers, you need to buy LEDs that allow this feature. I did, and I have no problems.
2
Agreed, but this is a much more common problem than what most people realize. Most switches only switch the hot wire, if an amateur installs the switch on the common instead you can have an LED that 'glows when off.' Incandescent bulbs were not sensitive enough to pick up this fault.
Please re-read my post I was talking about reversing the common and hot wires. Many lighting circuits, particularly in older homes are not grounded. While reversing the hot and common wires is not correct, it is a common mistake in DIY repairs.
It's just stunning to me that LEDs are only at 14 percent. Now that LEDs are down to $1 or $2 per bulb, anybody still using incandescents is just pouring money down the drain. I don't know why people are so unwilling to invest when the payback is so fast. It's the same thing with toilets. People stubbornly stick with ancient leaky 10 gallon toilets when a 1.2 gallon toilet can have a big impact on the water bill.
24
People replace stuff as it wears out. Until the lightbulb or toilet doesn't work anymore, they just keep it. It's easier. Don't worry; all things break eventually.
5
My incandescents don't work anymore. I took a hammer to them. I thought about passing them along to others but why when they use so much energy that we all end up paying extra for. Hammers are the answer!
1
If you had a car that got 2 miles per gallon, you wouldn't wait for it to wear out, you would get rid of it. Well incandescents are like a car that gets 2 miles per gallon. They use TEN TIMES the electricity that LEDs use.
Sure, when LED bulbs cost $10 or $20 they didn't pencil out. But at $1 or $2 a bulb it should be a no brainer. People are just irrational.
Same thing with toilets. An old 10 gallon toilet can easily use 20,000 gallons EXTRA water in a single year vs. the new ones. If you live in an area short of water that's unconscionable but even if you don't, 20,000 gallons is a lot of money -- can easily add $300 or $400 a year to your water bill depending on where you live.
1
As the incandescent bulbs were being fazed out I happily bought stock. Almost two hundred light bulbs are stashed away all over my home.
The idea that a light bulb was going from 60 cents each to almost five dollars is absurd. The light provided from CFL's and LED's is awful.
But hey we now live in a society that tells me I can't use plastic grocery bags, what kind of light bulb I need to buy, and that I have to recycle. All of this is absolutely absurd and nothing more than a feel good measure to pretend that we actual care about global climate change/warming whatever they call it.
The bottom line as American's we need to consume less, turn down the heat to sixty degrees, throw out the air conditioner. Drive less, walk more, ride the bus, get outside and feel the sun and fresh air. Stop buying and buying garbage to fill empty voids in our lives. Eat less.
Instead of addressing the larger picture and the true problem which is consumerism. We will instead worry about light bulbs and pretend that is making a change.
9
Sorry that you don't see the tree in the forest as well as the forest. I've switched to LED bulbs in my house and watched my electric bill go down significantly. Yes, the bulbs cost more but since they last years and years they are completely worth the price. They also save me from having to get up on a ladder and change the bulbs.
I live in Florida. If I were to turn off my air conditioner, my house would be ruined within a year. Humidity and mold would destroy it. I do, however, try to keep it set at a reasonable temp.
15
Most people object to change. They have a tough time imagining overflowing landfills or warming oceans, so they pretend nothing they can do really matters. It's easier for them.
18
Frank, I feel for you. But to be clear, nobody is making you recycle. You can still just throw everything in the trash like you used to, 30 years ago. And you don't have to use the new lighting. There will be specialty purveyors that will sell incandescent bulbs to you later, at their actual cost. I for one appreciate the choices available today, but to each their own. And nobody is making you stop using plastic shopping bags. You can still find suppliers for them most everywhere, so you'll not run out anytime soon.
But why you think any of this is somehow bad is a complete mystery.
3
Hmmmmm, newer, better technology replaces older, less effective technology. Wow, kinda like bows replacing spears, plows replacing hoes, wheels replacing walking, metal tools replacing stone tools, steam looms replacing hand looms, railroads replacing stagecoaches, electric lighting replacing candles, cars replacing horses, etc., etc., etc. it’s been going on for quite a while. Probably time to get used to it.
5
Forget compact fluorescents. LEDs are more better, much more better.
19
Yes to LEDs! Hand-in-hand, we (and quite a bit of the rest of life on earth), need smart, balanced regulations and technology to minimize nighttime emission of unnecessary light. See: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/light-pollution-energy-LED-bulbs-spd/
7
Within a few years everything will be LED all control able from our phones. I went all LED, warm for the living room, cool for workspaces and a mixture elsewhere. 2$ for a bulb that will outlive me.
14
We get it, we get it Henny Penny. Trump, if left unchecked, will destroy the world.
5
Trump likes coal, too. He undershot on light bulbs. Perhaps the US needs to go back to coal lamps and heating. Bring back the Flintstones.
3
My little establishment has about 50 track lights total.
In the days of yore, with halogen bulbs, I’d change each bulb about twice a year, $15 bucks a pop.
Then, with compact fluorescents, I saw a 3-4 year life. Vermont had a subsidy program, bring the per bulb costs to even lower than the halogens. I reduced my costs in excess of 80%. And going up and down tall ladders, balancing precariously on the top steps is a lot less often.
Now, with the LED bulbs, as the last of the compact florescents die out, I replace the bulb and that’s it. Again, the replacement LED bulb costs have turned out to be very cost effective too due to Vermont’s subsidy.
And I haven’t mentioned the saving of both money on the electric bills and whatever reduction of my carbon footprint.
I look forward to doing more where I can.
41
I tried all the high-tech bulbs. I had to go back to plain incandescents,
as I don't find halogens to buy.
First, its winter. ALL light bulbs are 100% efficient in heating my house. I need them to keep places that the central heating is less efficient for warm.
Worse, all the high tech ones generate vast amounts of radio interference. This is a killer. There is no choice but to go back to incandescents, or
old fashioned tube fluorescents with inductive (not high tech) ballasts ..
the latter becoming unavailable. So I did, as I collect radios. It looks like I soon will have to start using even higher wattage ones, unless Trump manages to stop this banning.
Also the new high tech ones do seem to have lifetimes to "electronic failure" that is FAR shorter than claimed life.
And some of the new lamps are very bad for photographic quality.
Thus, as usual the left wing regulations make things worse.
5
Unless you have extremely exotic light fixtures w/ custom halogen requirements, you should be able to find an LED equivalent like I did. And the color temps should not be a significant issue unless your spaces require some soft of custom photographic lab environment.
1
I tried three brands of LED lamps. Two generated far too much RF interference. One was OK in that respect but flickered and died after a few weeks. Halogen bulbs used to be very available in all (real) wattages, but there days are hard to find locally.
LED's are fine for the kitchen, the basement, the bathroom, the garage -- anywhere you want/need bright light and don't care if the quality of that light is harsh and cold. But I miss the warmth of incandescent lighting in living, dining and bedroom areas. Lots of LED bulbs advertise warm light, but they don't deliver. Hope manufacturers will heed this request and figure out the technical challenges so that we can save electricity and also enjoy lighting that enhances our surroundings.
12
I agree. Aesthetics far outweigh survival!
3
Don't mess around with cheap generic Home Depot LED bulbs. Look at some of the Philips bulbs with actually very pleasant color temps. A tad more expensive but often on sale, sometimes in bulk @ Amazon, etc.
2
It is misleading to say that CFLs have a "colder light quality." Both CFLs and LEDs can be made with the same warmth (Correlated Color Temperature) as the traditional incandescents that are used to in home lighting. However, the two often differ in color rendering. LEDs typically render the color of objects with more fidelity than CFLs, whereas CFLs often make the color of objects appear more saturated that they would under incandescent illumination. (I am a PhD student in Color Science.)
31
But CFLS are often listed as "warm" tone on the box but they are still giving off a distinct blue tint light. There's a manufacturing and labeling problem with CFLs and for some reason the industry gets away with it. OTOH LED's rated as warm _generally_ are not blue tint light.
2
I have all LED bulbs. I put them in regular lamps and light fixtures, some fixtures from early seventies. They don't flicker they don't burn out and the light level is stable. These integrated fixtures sound like a rip off to me.
22
There is something fishy about that 6% traditional light bulbs statistic. Maybe it is weighted by usage? I have been semi-aggressively updating to efficient bulbs for nearly two decades, beginning with the long-skinny (pre-spiral) CFLs where the ballast and bulb were separate pieces. My closets, crawl space, shower in the second bathroom, little-used accent lights, you-name-it still have incandescent bulbs which have not burned out and been replaced. So even though the vast majority of my artificial light consumption comes from newer bulbs, the number of light bulbs is a different story.
3
"There is something fishy about that 6% traditional light bulbs statistic."
Sourced by the DoE and I wouldnt take the data as completely objective. I would guess the % closer to 10%.
Laudable thoughts. I'm all for the new bulbs, until I see that the new tech bulbs seem to need replacement much more often than claimed.
The new ones are much more expensive and the failure rate is dismal.
yes, I have checked my electrical system.
As a couple of other comments indicate, the technology has a long way to go.
But I'll keep trying.
7
"Dismal" Sats please. ? LEDs are THE lighting used in most new construction.
4
Which LED's are you buying? The ones in my kitchen have now lasted for 12 years and are still working. I used to have to change the incandescent bulbs in my living room lamps once a month. Now I use LED's and haven't changed them in a year. That isn't "dismal" to me. I'm buying Phillips mostly but also other brands as well.
5
A huge saving for our town when we replaced the street lights with LED lights was not having to change bulbs to often. Same goes for traffic lights where it is even greater savings. On average the LEDs last much longer.
2
In spite of the Luddites in the trump administration, I, and I am confident many others, will opt for the most energy efficient light bulbs possible. So manufacturers and retailers should be in the forefront of pushing the most efficient and latest technology onto the market place. Take the money you saved with your tax breaks and invest in state of the art production equipment and R&D instead of stock buybacks.
1
GE reveal bulbs give the best light and true color. when this noise started years ago with led lights, etc. i stocked up the best i could. i am also the sort who turns off the lights when i leave the room. say what you will, every new thing is not an innovation.
17
The best light and true color I see shines on the "green dollars" I save every month. I own a large home and do not like living in dim light or darkness. Replacing energy-wasting bulbs with LED bulbs cut my electric bill by one third. Brilliant!
19
If we are going to be ready for the future energy needs we have to keep moving in the direction of technology like LED lighting and other forms like it.
However right at this time mixing that type of technology with yesterdays technology does have some draw backs but in time it will get better.
While all of this reduced energy use is great, LEDs have some serious problems, especially the "integrated" fixtures. We recently built and put in LED lights everywhere...now we have all sorts of flickering, pulsing and strobing to iron out. And please don't tell me it just that we have installed the wrong dimmers. Used only what was called for by manufacturers. Talk to the electricians and contractors about lighting and you will not get the rosy picture painted by this article. This technology has a ways to go. In the meantime, buyer beware.
29
Yow! It seems that integrated fixtures don't have replaceable light bulbs, the LED light is built right into the ceiling can, or track head, or whatever. I had never heard of that. Considering that many of the LED bulbs I have tried have been problems, I can see how the integrated fixture thing could be quite a headache.
5
Every single light in my home is LED. Most have been that way for several years now. I have never had a problem.
44
Yeah, but... you installed the wrong dimmers.
1