Common Eco Sense

While searching for an energy efficient light bulb I stumbled on the LED Light Bulb. Now that seemed interesting , LEDs are definitely a low power device and in turn offer low heat. Wow what a great device, Eco-friendly and energy saving . What more could you ask for.

Not so fast, this little cost effective energy saving device will set you back $80. That means to replace all four bulbs in my dining room chandelier will be a total of $320. I use my dining room as and example because of all the lights in the house this one is on more than any other. It connects the living room to the kitchen and is a high traffic area.

What is and LED?

LED stands for light-emitting diode. Low light emitting diodes have been around since the 1960s in one form or another. It is a semiconductor chip that emits light. Used in everything from flash lights to appliance they have many advantages. The most prominent is low power usage and long life. The problem until recently is they just have not been bright enough or economical to be used for light bulbs.

If you really would like to purchase these amazing light bulbs they can be found at Earthled.  Here  is a what they claim.

1. Light Output Comparable to a 100 Watt Incandescent
2. Crisp, Room-Filling Light with CRI > 75
3. Lasts for over 50,000 Hours
4. Costs under $6.00 to run per YEAR. Save Hundreds!
5. Active Thermal Management: Runs Cool, Stays Cool
6. Contains no Mercury or Hazardous Substances
7. Will Not Shatter
8. No Flickering, No Headaches
9. 2 Year Warranty & 30 Day Money Back Guarantee!
10. UL Listed, FCC Approved

If they truly is no flicker as they claim it may actually be a real alternative to CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs. I tried to install these in the bathroom. My wife hated them and made me put back the old fashion bulbs. The reason was the strange light that  seemed to make you dizzy. The dizziness must be from the flickering. IT does not seems to bother the family in a more open space.

According to the website it will save you $25/yr per bulb over a 100 watt incandescent bulb, including the purchase of the bulb and electricity.That means I would have to spend $320 for the dinning room to save $100 over a year.

Electricity Cost Comparison

Your electricity costs may very. I used a Kilowatt hour cost of  0.07649 and the bulbs are on for 8 hours. The calculator I used can be found here.

100 watt incandescent bulb

• Cost Per Hour: $0.007649
• Cost Per Day: $0.061192
• Cost Per Week: $0.428
• Cost Per Month: $1.71
• Cost Per Year: $22.27

13 watt LED bulb

• Cost Per Hour:$0.000994
• Cost Per Day:$0.007955
• Cost Per Week:$0.056
• Cost Per Month:$0.22
• Cost Per Year:$2.90

As you can see the LED will actually save me nearly $20 a year. But at that rate it will 4 years to recoup the cost of the bulb.

Although these LED bulbs seem like a a good choice and probably offer beter light color and brightness. They just don’t make sense at this price. A better option would be the Compact Fluorecnet Light Bulbs. They may not have the same bright light and do have a little flicker. But used in the right places Hallways, over kitchen sinks or shower lights the make good economical sense.

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