subject: Cheap LED light bulbs, eventually [print this page] Cheap LED light bulbs, eventually Cheap LED light bulbs, eventually
LED light bulbs are inching their way onto the market in much the same fashion as compact fluorescent light bulbs did years ago. A big difference here is that there aren't really any detractors against LED technology like there were (and still are) with CFL bulbs. LEDs consume even less power than CFLs but do not contain any mercury. The only real downside to LED light bulbs is the price.
Just like when compact fluorescent light bulbs first became available, the price for an LED light bulb is just too high for an average consumer to justify a purchase. It doesn't matter that LEDs do away with the complaints people have for CFLs, or that they're more energy efficient; they just cost too much. It's a shame, too, because the technology is great. A 12 watt LED light bulb provides enough lumens to replace a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. That's five times less energy for the same light, and the bulb itself lasts 25 times longer.
Considering that, spending over $50 for a single light bulb becomes less outrageous. The savings on your energy bill each year combined with the nearly lifelong life of the bulb will definitely cover the amount spent after some years. The main problem with such high initial prices is the difficulty in replacing all the bulbs in a house. The energy bill savings are merely incremental if you are only able to change a bulb at a time.
Nonetheless, we can look forward to having LEDs in our houses. The price will come down as LED light bulbs become more prevalent and lighting manufacturers vie for the lowest price. Those of us using compact fluorescent light bulbs can be content waiting for prices to come down, as we won't need to change our bulbs any time soon anyway. It's the incandescent users who will be spending the most money as time goes on, and also providing the most pollution and energy waste. They will say we pollute as well with our CFLs containing mercury (even if one bulb contains a hundred times less than an old thermometer). LEDs contain no such filth, and when they finally burn out 20 years later, we'll be able to just throw them in the trash.
