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Can screwing lead to lower energy bills?

08.15.2008

Submitted by tmeronek on Fri, 08/15/2008 - 12:30am.
The Bite:
It can if you're putting light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs into your lamps. Better known as the bulbs behind your laptop screen and Lite-Brite (aww...), LEDs are brighter and cheaper than ever - and just to arouse your interest even more: They're way more efficient than even compact fluorescents (CFLs).
The Benefits: 
  • Increased flow to your wallet. Although LEDs are currently a lot more expensive out of the gate, replacing an incandescent bulb with one can save you more than $700 over its lifetime.
  • Having a planet-gasm. LEDs use less energy than incandescents (about 1/10th) and CFLs (about half), since they produce comparatively little heat - all the energy is used for light.
  • Lasting longer. LEDs last about 60,000 hours, compared to 10,000 for CFLs, and 1,500 for old-school incandescents (making LEDs especially great for ceilings, since you almost never gotta change 'em).
  • Merc-free turn-ons. Even if the mercury CFLs contain is minimal, LEDs are even better, with none at all.
Personally Speaking: 
We all switched to LED Xmas lights a couple years back, and Jen just got her chance to debut them in the off-season at her Mom's 60th, which she threw in her backyard.
Wanna Try: 
  • Lemnis Pharox Bulb - bulb that'll replace typical 40-watt incandescents ($39).
  • Home LED Lamp - its remote control lets you switch between 16 colors (careful - blue light makes your skin look dead); fits over ordinary sockets ($48).
  • Maxxima Sensor Light - great for dark bathrooms and closets. Also: nightlights ($4-$40).
 

Cocktail Fact

The world's largest Lite-Brite image was a rendering of da Vinci's The Last Supper that PA artist Mark Beekman made with 124,418 pegs.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Biters switch out one CFL for an LED, in a year we'll save enough energy to power 398 homes for the year after that.

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Heather  on August 11, 2009 at 05:14 AM 1
Just noticed this AM that you erroneously cite Lite Brite as operating with LED lights. Unfortunately they do not. I worked at a cool physics outreach program and we were constantly modifying old lite brites for projects... inside the box is a regular old incandescent bulb. The little plastic pieces just look like LED bulbs. Sorry for the bad news! Heather

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