20 year life light bulb? US introduces $60 LED light bulb

[weakmagneto]

A prize-winning light bulb that lasts for 20 years is going on sale in the US on Sunday - also known as Earth Day.
22 April 2012
BBC News

Made by Dutch electronics giant Philips, the bulb swaps filaments for light-emitting diodes to provide illumination.

Using LEDs endows the light with a long life and a hefty price tag. The first versions are set to cost $60 (£37).

Philips has arranged discounts with shops that will sell the bulb meaning some could buy it for only $20 (£12).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17788178

[wolfhnd]

How about street lights

http://eetweb.com/products/led_street_l ... _xsp_0413/

Electronically ballasted Neon is apparently still more efficient than LED per foot.

http://www.egl-lighting.com/documents/n ... ciency.pdf

You really have to be something of a lighting expert to sort through all of the different concerns, such as light focus and color, to get a real understanding of the issues.

[Watson]

The 20 year life is a best questimate, as I'm sure they didn't test it over the last 20 years. There seems no real reason for the life of a light bulb. The old bulbs could last a few days or a few years. Even the new mercury long life bulbs can quit after a few weeks.

[Natural ChemE]

I’m a big fan of LED light bulbs (NewEgg.com).

They’re a great gift for your elderly family members. Buy up a bunch of them, and then replace all of the light bulbs in their home with these things. Not only will their power bills be lower, but they shouldn’t have to go through the potentially dangerous act of changing dead light bulbs for a very long time.

[yadayada]

I'm using the new warm white LED's everywhere for desk lights. 40-75W equivalents are great, depending on the type of lamp and use.

One thing to watch for is the directional nature of LED filaments, it acts more like a spotlight. LED bulbs don't make very good kitchen or hallway lights because the light is not dispersed widely enough. Overheating in completely enclosed fixtures should also be avoided, as always.

BTW, speaking of efficient lighting, the mini-fluorescents that replace chandelier bulbs are fabulously brighter, once they warm up, but do not last anywhere near as long as advertized. Because of the noticeable warmup delay, it's a good idea to leave a couple of incandescents mixed in.

[Dave_Oblad]

Hi all,

I think they knew how to make long lasting bulbs long ago.. then chose not to. (for sales reasons) I have one in my table lamp next to my bed. It isn't the twisted spring coil-shaped filament. It is a single thread strung between about 4 support bars. It's about 25 watts. The markings on it have long faded away. I've been using it nightly and sometimes over night if I fall asleep with it on. That bulb is now nearly 35 years old (or more) since I got it.

I have replaced every bulb in my household, over the decades many many times over. Many bulbs lasting just a few months. But this old bulb just keeps on going.. and going.. and going... I have no idea how old it really is, as it was in the lamp when I bought it at a garage sale when I was about 25ish. (I'm 62 now)

But nowadays.. I buy those fluorescent bulbs that fit standard screw bulb sockets. So far, after at least a year, none have burned out yet. But they tend to make an audio Buzz and they start out dim yellowish until they warm up, so I guess I will try the LED ones soon.

Best to all,
Dave :^)