by Martha Carney and Brian SlobodaThe Edison bulb, still a cherished light source in many homes, may finally be entering its twilight years after well over a century of dominating the lighting market. The drive for efficiency is pushing major changes in the world of lighting.
Compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs) boasts four times the efficiency of the Edison bulb, and has made a splash over the past few years. But even though the quality, reliability and versatility of CFLs continues to rise, consumer acceptance has been slow. Many peoples’ opinions were formed by early CFL lamps, renowned for poor light quality and unreliable performance.
A new lighting product quickly making gains in the market may one day overtake CFLs and other types of lights in many applications. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are being hailed as the next great innovation in lighting, promising long life, great light quality, and super efficiency. However, the ultimate promise of LED technology has yet to be reflected in the current reality.
“It’s real important that people don’t get lured into buying cheap LEDs,” said Rob Kirkpatrick, chief operating officer of Service Concepts, an Indianapolis-based organization owned by a group of Indiana electric cooperatives which provides products and services for co-ops and consumers nationwide.
He said the lighting industry learned valuable lessons from the inauspicious introduction of CFLs and the bad taste early ones left in the mouths of consumers. But for a few exceptions, he noted, the industry is trying to make sure LEDs are ready for prime-time before hitting the mainstream markets.
Right now, Kirkpatrick said, when it comes to LEDs, you do get what you pay for. Some LEDs do offer bright light, color and longevity properties. He said at this early stage, though, these sell for high prices.
“Some don’t belong in anything more elaborate than a flashlight,” he continued, showing off a $15 LED replacement ceiling light he purchased from a discount chain as an example of one of the bad apples. He noted U.S. Department of Energy tests found the cheap product could not live up to efficiency and longevity claims boasted on its packaging. Not long after, he even received an apology letter from the chain’s president for selling it.
“Unfortunately, the competitive marketplace allows a lot of the lower quality LEDs to end up in products that can’t live up the manufacturer’s claims,” he said.
To help consumers get a better idea of what to look for with emerging LEDs, the Arlington, Va.-based Cooperative Research Network partnered with several electric cooperatives throughout the United States to test a variety of LED lamps as alternatives to conventional lighting or CFLs. CRN and many electric co-ops are cautiously optimistic about LED technology because of the following consumer benefits:
• LEDs could last longer, perhaps for decades;
• The energy to use LEDs could be substantially less than that of CFLs or other fluorescents;
• With no mercury content, LEDs are more environmentally friendly;
• The products are rugged and more resistant to breakage than CFLs or incandescent bulbs;
• LEDs perform well in cold climates, especially outdoor applications;
• LEDs can be dimmed and produce a more pleasing light.
As promising as the technology appears, the path to seeing store shelves stocked with reliable and affordable LEDs may be long and bumpy. Obstacles such as limited light output and high initial prices are barriers to widespread LED use. In the current economy, consumers will not purchase the quality LED lighting until manufacturers bring down costs significantly.
The cost of an LEDLEDs are perceived as expensive. Indeed, an initial investment in an LED fixture today is far greater than for an incandescent bulb — sometimes as much as 100 times more expensive when compared to a soft-white 100-watt bulb priced at $1. However, the cost of running the light encompasses the total cost of ownership over its lifetime, including the energy cost to run the light and replacement costs.
When LEDs are perfected, it should take about 50 incandescent bulbs, or eight to 10 CFLs, to equal the life of one LED lamp, depending on the type of lighting application. LEDs also are expected to be about 20 times more efficient than an incandescent bulb.
When you compare the lifecycle cost of a light source, the question is: which would you rather pay — $550 to use an incandescent bulb, or $150 to use an LED? (The "Lifecycle" chart compares existing varieties of ceiling bulbs that produce the equivalent output of light.)
Goodbye filament … hello chipThe Edison light bulb creates light by heating a filament — an inefficient process that actually produces more heat than light, explaining why incandescent light bulbs are hot to the touch.
LEDs, on the other hand, create light through a semi-conductor chip mounted on an electronic circuit board. When energy passes through the chip, it creates bright light and almost no heat on the bulb itself. Heat is dissipated out of the back of the lamp.
LEDs are not entirely new. In fact, they are the familiar red or blue indicator lights used in electronics, stereos, personal computers and even traffic lights. Holiday light strings are also an example of LED products ready for consumers now. Tiny LED holiday lights save as much as 90 percent of the electricity as incandescent holiday lights, never burn out and don’t cost a fortune.
Over the last two years, there have been technological strides in the development of white, high-brightness LEDs. This opens opportunities for much broader lighting applications within our homes and offices, and for outdoor street lighting. Several electric co-ops are working with CRN to test LED lamps at parking lots and schools and on roadways and farms. The test results will give co-ops a strong voice with manufacturers in creating new LED lamps that will be less expensive, last longer, and benefit consumers.
Buyer beware – a word of caution The message of “buyer beware” is crucial when speaking of LED lamps. Poor quality LED products are flooding the marketplace and are easily purchased on several well-known Web sites and through big box retailers. Many products promising to be “good for the planet” are not as environmentally friendly as claimed. Several of these products are manufactured outside of the United States with components that produce low light levels, don’t stand up on long service life, or have exaggerated energy saving claims.
Don’t be fooled. Two key positive indicators are price and the presence of a “Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Quality Advocate” label. As Service Concepts’ Kirkpatrick noted, a product that costs $15 is likely to provide less light and have a shorter life than one that costs $50, despite what the bold lettering on the front of the package might say. Even high-quality LED lamps are in a relatively early stage of development and few have undergone rigorous testing in real-life settings.
The Department of Energy advocates for quality and is establishing Energy Star standards around LEDs. Until this happens, DOE encourages consumers to become educated before investing in LEDs. DOE also asks consumers to look for the SSL Quality Advocate label, also called the “Lighting Facts” label, on the packaging. The label is similar to the one used by the Food and Drug Administration for labeling nutrition on food packages and containers. The labels even use similar graphic elements and type faces.
This label, policed by the DOE, displays a summary of several important LED product features, such as light color and energy consumption. However, most consumers will need to go to the Web site listed on the label to really understand what these terms and numbers mean. The presence of the label doesn’t guarantee the product’s high quality; it’s simply designed to provide useful information for comparing one product to another.
LED lighting holds a great deal of promise. However, the gap between promise and the delivery of products to meet consumer demand remains wide.
Most ready-for-prime-time LED products are in a few niche applications, such as task, display case and holiday lighting. General illumination lights are, for the most part, still a work in progress. Smart consumers will do a little homework before purchasing LED lights.
Over time, the quality of the products will increase, and consumers will be able to buy them with confidence. This revolution in lighting may finally turn out the light on Edison’s 19th century bulb and even leave the new CFLs in the dark.
Martha Carney and Brian Sloboda write for the Cooperative Research Network, a division of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association that monitors, evaluates and applies technologies to help electric co-ops enhance service to consumers. Richard G. Biever, senior editor of Electric Consumer, provided additional material for this article.Here's a link back to the April 2010 contents page.Here's a link to a brief article about CFLs and their upward spiraling success.Here's a link to an EPA Web site with more info on LEDs.