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Why artificial light is like money

I keep hearing that the good old incandescent bulb is dead and that the more energy efficient alternatives can slash our energy needs.

Well I do know that since switching most of our bulbs to CFLs the power bill here has dropped somewhat. In fact, I'm picking that we maybe seeing a saving of over $20 a month during the winter months - and that's not too bad at all.

Of course I've never been one to put up with dim lighting. Why use a 75W bulb when a 150W will do?

However, we're now being told that even once uber-efficient LED lighting becomes practical and affordable, we ought not expect to see too much of a drop in the cost of lighting our homes.

How can that be?

Well if this report is to be believed, lumens are like dollars... your "need" will always grow to keep pace with the supply.

It seems that if LEDs can produce more lumena per watt, we'll just opt to run more and brighter lights rather than enjoy the full scope of the savings that will be available.

Perhaps there's an element of truth in that, after all I found myself grabbing one of the new 24W CFLs yesterday when I saw it on the shop shelves. The 20W ones I'm running now really seem "not quite bright enough" for my liking and, having tried them, I'm pleased to report that the extra 4W makes a massive difference.

However, I'm not so sure I believe that all the savings will be lost in favour of brighter rooms and more ubiquitous artificial lighting, once LEDs become cost-effective.

Of course the real question is: just how good are LED lights at the moment?

Well as far as I can tell, they're far from ready for the big-time.

While you can buy a range of LED-based light-bulb replacements, they tend to be far dimmer (often just a couple of watts versus the 15+ Watts required to replace a 100W incandescent).

There are two main types of LED bulbs -- the single or concentrated emitter type which employ somewhere between one and eight high-intensity LEDs, or the mass-LED type which can contain scores or even hundreds of individual lower-intensity LEDs.

And the prices?

Well even directly out of China, a half-decent LED (25W) bulb can cost US$75 (owch!), with a more modest 10W unit costing US$33. In both cases it has to be remembered that Chinese manufacturers are notorious for over-stating power and lumen levels. Then there's the ever-present issue of product quality (or lack thereof).

So in the meantime it looks as if we're stuck with CFLs if we want to save some power but plenty of folk are not too happy with these either.

The new 24W ones are certainly bright enough -- but I wonder what long-lasting harm I might have done myself when one of the old ones broke while I was trying to remove it. Will I end up mad as a hatter due to the tiny amount of mercury vapour that I have no doubt inhaled?

What are *you* using for your lighting at the moment and why?

Have you tried LED lighting and if so, how did that work for you?

When LED lights become practical, will you opt to hike the lumens by using a higher-output bulb than you currently use?

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