LED light bulbs will exert dominance over CFL within five years, says report
LED light bulbs will exert dominance over CFL within five years, says report
Ever since we all started sitting up and taking notice of the impact of short-life, high energy spending incandescent lightbulbs and switching them out for longer-lasting greener alternatives, there has been a little push and pull as to which technology is better: LED lighting or compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).
While CFLs offer typically a lower entry point on price, LEDs use less energy and last longer than their counterparts, making them a better investment on the whole - and one that should see LEDs exert their dominance over the next five years.
That's according to new research by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the US and the UK-based firm N14 Energy Limited.
"The light-emitting diode lamp is a rapidly evolving technology that, while already energy efficient, will become even more so in just a few short years," says Marc Ledbetter, who helped coordinate testing before publishing the report.
"Our comprehensive analysis indicates technological advancements in the near future will help people who use these lamps to keep shrinking their environmental footprints."
Research looked not only at the long-term performance benefits of each bulb, but also the impact recycling LED light bulbs or CFL's had on the environment as well as the strain of manufacture on the planet's natural resources.
They took an array of typical bulbs from the available LED, CFL and traditional products on the market, and put them to the test. They found that the energy taken to light an incandescent bulb typically clocked up at 60W of electricity, while CFL models used 15W to produce the same amount of light. LED bulbs, on the other hand, used just 12.5W.
But as Mr Ledbetter noted, whatever option consumers switch to, the green lighting movement will have a significant impact on both energy use and environmental preservation.
"Regardless of whether consumers use LEDs or CFLs, this analysis shows we could reduce the environmental impact of lighting by three to 10 times if we choose more efficient bulbs instead of incandescents," he said.