LED Light Bulbs

There is a new kind of light bulb out now, the LED light bulb. This bulb fits in a standard light bulb socket and is filled with bright Light Emitting Diodes. Compared to the standard incandescent bulb, or even to the highly efficient CFC (compact flourescent bulb) this thing uses miniscule amounts of electricity!

They also tend to last forever - manufacturers claim lifetimes of 40,000 to 60,000 hours. (Normal light bulbs can have a lifetime of up to 1,000 hours).

Since they are a new technology, each LED bulb is (for now, anyway) an expensive initial investment - a quick search on Google shows that bulbs tend to run between $20 and $35 each. But in the long run… these things can save a TON of money, and do many good things for the environment.

Check out this chart:

Benefits of LED Light Bulbs vs. Incandescent Light Bulbs	2 Watt LED Light Bulb	Regular 60 Watt Light Bulb
Life Span of the bulb	50,000 hours	1,000 hours
Number of bulbs used over 50,000 hour period	1	50
Total Bulb Cost	$34.95	$33.50 (50 bulbs at 67¢ each)
Electricity Usage - kWh of electricity used over 60,000 hours	120 kWh	3000 kWh
Cost of Electricity - 60,000 hours at 10¢ per kWh	$12.00	$300.00
Total Savings: Money saved by using one LED Light Bulb	$286.55 Per Bulb!

Electric rates are even higher in states like California, where the savings over the lifetime of a single LED light bulb can total more than $400!

It has been estimated that if every home in the United States were to replace a single 60-watt bulb in their home with an LED bulb, it would eliminate the need for one large scale US power plant, saving 25,000 megawatts PER DAY!! Some states, in fact, (California) have tried to pass initiatives outlawing incandescent bulbs entirely.