Battle of the Bulbs Part 2: CFLs vs. LEDs
After our blog about the environmental and economic benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) instead of incandescent bulbs, we thought we really should take it one step further and talk about light emitting diodes (LEDs).
After our blog about the environmental and economic benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) instead of incandescent bulbs, we thought we really should take it one step further and talk about light emitting diodes (LEDs). While CFLs are a more energy efficient choice compared to incandescent bulbs, LEDs are an increasingly viable alternative to CFLs. The technology behind LEDs is rapidly developing, leading to noticeable improvements in performance and price. In addition to the substantial increases in efficiency that LEDs offer over CFLs, they do so without using any mercury.
Advantages Abound
|
|
23W CFL (1,278 lumens) |
7W LED (560 lumens) |
|
Approximate purchase price |
$4.00 |
$47.00 |
|
Life of the lamp |
~10,000 hours |
~40,000 hours |
|
Number of lamps* |
4 |
~2 |
|
Mercury emitted from bulb disposal |
~2.24 mg |
0.00 mg |
|
Mercury emitted from electricity generation** |
~8.01 mg |
~4.88 mg |
|
Total cost of electricity ($0.05 / kWh) |
920 kWh = $46.00 |
280 kWh = $14.00 |
|
Total cost over 40,000 hours (bulbs and electricity) |
$16 + $46 = $62 |
$94 + $14 = $108 |
*Number of lamps needed to generate the same amount of light over the same period of time.
**Based on standard Oregon residential energy mix which includes approximately 40% from coal-fired sources generating approximately 0.00871 mg of mercury per kilowatt hour.
Challenges Remain
The LED for widespread residential lighting applications is still being perfected. Consumers report lackluster performance of some LEDs in terms lighting quality, brightness, and bulb options. However, CFLs experienced similar performance issues with early generations of the bulbs as well. Several companies have recently unveiled LED bulbs that claim to have made significant improvements in these areas. As the technology improves and more people purchase LEDs the relatively high purchase price should decrease, hopefully to a point that is competitive with CFLs.
It’s worth noting that the “total cost” included in the above table, does not include external costs associated with impacts to public health and the environmental associated with the use of coal-fired electricity generation. Also, mercury emissions associated with electricity generation can be eliminated by purchasing renewable energy. All values used in the above table are approximations based on the best available information at the time of publishing.
