US introduces US$60/£37 LED light bulb

I read an article where they actually compared the efficiency of this with the coiled fluorescent bulbs that have swept the nation, and apparently it's actually cheaper to use the fluorescent bulbs rather than the LED bulbs simply because the LED bulbs cost so much.

Originally Posted by MegaTuxRacer

I read an article where they actually compared the efficiency of this with the coiled fluorescent bulbs that have swept the nation, and apparently it's actually cheaper to use the fluorescent bulbs rather than the LED bulbs simply because the LED bulbs cost so much.

For the commercial environment where the light is left on all day, maybe. For domestic environments where the light bulb it switched on for shorter periods, probably not. As in that case CFLs only have a small fraction of the lifespan.

I'm curious what the light spectrum is on the LEDs. All the fluorescent bulbs in my house are daylight spectrum & look slightly bluish white compared to the old yellowish fluorescents I used to have & it actually picks up my mood some, especially in winter.

I know some people in the industry. They say they are about this >< close to coming out with a 500,000 hour LED bulb.

The most changed bulb in a house is the one in the bathroom. With a 500,000 hour bulb, if a young couple builds a house, their grandson will be an old man when he changes it.

Not only do LEDs take less power to run, but they can run off of low voltage circuits. So the total energy savings is also in the smaller wiring and fixtures for them in new construction... you don't have to wire for 110, just 12V.

Originally Posted by sofort99

So the total energy savings is also in the smaller wiring and fixtures for them in new construction... you don't have to wire for 110, just 12V.

12v has more resistive losses than 110v (or 240v in my country) due to higher current, so 12v would actually require larger wiring. The reduced losses are not due to the lower voltage, but due to the lower wattage (current x volts).