CREE LED Powered 6 Watt Bulb Cost Comparison

Cost Comparison CREE Powered LED Bulb Versus Incandescent and CFL Lights LED 6 Watt light that can replace 60 Watt bulb

This LED light using CREE LEDs may have a high purchase price but over time it saves money compared to the 60 Watt bulb(s) that it replaces. In this article I would like to argue the advantages of LED lighting compared to the incandescent and CFL alternatives. It turns out that, including energy and replacement costs, LED lights are both less expensive and more environmentally friendly than incandescent or CFL lights. This is a significant statement to be able to make when discussing environmental technologies. Usually there is some sort of compromise between environmental pollution and cost. That is, in the case of technologies that pollute less adoption should occur before cost is less. With LED lighting the fact is it involves less pollution, and it already costs less than any alternatives. In addition, there are other benefits such as no hum, and better control of lighting color and rendition. LED bulbs can be purchased at specific temperatures, with lenses that control the direction of light at various angles. Most consumers do not recognize the lower cost due to the comparatively high purchase price of LED bulbs. The price may range up to around $80.00 or more for a bulb that could replace a 60 Watt incandescent. This purchase price is much higher than that of incandescent or CFL lights. In difficult economic times many are skeptical of making the investment. However, the lower energy use and longer life of the LED bulbs must be considered to get a fair comparison. Let’s consider the cost aspect of the benefits of LED lighting. There are two reasons why LED bulbs save money. The first reason is because they use less energy. It is this reason that accounts for most of the cost savings of LED lighting. The second reason is a result that follows from the fact that the LED bulbs last longer. Due to the longer life of LED lights the frequency of replacements is much lower. This saves on new fixture purchases and costly maintenance. When comparing cost both energy savings and replacement savings should be taken into account. Cost of LED Light Versus Comparable Incandescent

Cost versus Hours: When compared to incandescent lights the cost of LED lighting is less after about 12,000 hours. Assumptions: LED Bulb: $70.00, 6 Watts, 50,000 hours, Incandescent Bulb: $0.67, 60 Watts, 5,000 hours, maintenance on replacement $1.00 Cost of LED Light versus Comparable CFL

Cost versus Hours: When compared to CFL lights the cost of LED lighting is less after about 25,000 hours. Assumptions: LED Bulb: $70.00, 6 Watts, 50,000 hours, CFL Bulb: $13.00, 14 Watts, 10,000 hours, maintenance on replacement $2.00 One can see from the graphs that LED lights start out more expensive due to the higher purchase price, but as they use less energy and require fewer replacements they eventually win out. Some might be willing to go the CFL route due to the longer time required for the LED lights to break even. This might be reasonable depending on the consumer, but there are serious pollution and toxicity issues that I think make the CFL lights not eligible as a ‘green’ technology. CFL lights contain Mercury which is a neurotoxin. The amount varies and there are plans to reduce it but the typical CFL contains 4 mg of mercury. The EPA has a fairly extensive list of cleanup procedures if one of these lights ever breaks. Based on my reading I don’t think the lights are suitable for residential housing. The main reason is that children or waste disposal workers could be inadvertently exposed, and I think it’s rare that people would follow the extensive list of cleanup instructions. Imagine cooking dinner while the 3 year old breaks a CFL and guests are on the way. What percent of the population is going to get online and start following EPA instructions? (I do advise following the instructions, making children aware of the risks, keeping the lights in a safe place, and disposing of them according to your local requirements.) Proponents of CFL lighting argue that the extra energy required to power incandescent lights leads to mercury emissions at power plants. Based on my reading I don’t think the emissions at power plants lead to the same overall exposure that would occur if a CFL light breaks inside a home. However, it is needless to bother with the issue since the LED lighting solution reduces emissions at power plants even more, while at the same time the LED lights have no mercury, and also cost less (including energy and replacements.) In addition both CFL lights and incandescent lights both need to be produced in higher numbers than LED bulbs. This leads to energy use and pollution. For example, 5 CFL lights or 10 - 25 incandescent lights would be needed to last as long as one LED bulb. CFL lights also require complex electronic components increasing the pollution involved in production. As long as I am connecting pieces of the energy puzzle I would like to mention that if nuclear power plants posed anywhere near the poisoning issues that CFL lights do in the interior of people’s homes then that technology (nuclear) would never be allowed to go forward. My overall conclusion on what lights should be used is that clearly LED lighting is superior. Those arguing to replace incandescent light with CFL light would do best to educate themselves about the benefits of LED lighting. We see there are three advantages of LED lighting: It’s more environmentally friendly, it saves money, and it allows for better lighting. Now is a good time to start exploring the different LED lighting fixtures, light colors, and lens angles available. My advice is to start out slow, decide what you like, and if you’re in a position try to be a leader and not a follower in this revolution.

CREE Powered LED 6 Watt Bulbs

*Data based on manufacturer specifications. See 'about us' for warranty information.