A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits incoherent monochromatic light when electrically biased in the forward direction. This effect is a form of electroluminescent. The color depends on the semiconducting material used, and can be near-ultraviolet, visible or infrared. LED bulbs use less energy than your standard incandescent bulb, a whopping savings of 96% energy means a very low electricity bill. LED bulbs are the safest and the most cost-effective artificial light source in the world.

Many LED bulbs now fit into standard sockets and they work well with all types of light.     Advances have been made to make the color temperature of LEDs more of a traditional warm white. Applications for use include shops, bars, offices, show rooms, homes and more.

The leading LED manufacturer is Long Life Lamp Company which has been around for more than 15 years. Its latest high power LED, the 3rd generation, is designed to become a replacement of fluorescent tubes and halogen lamps, which is the future direction of the lighting industry. Although the price of these products are higher than current lighting sources, LED is better than other available lighting technologies due to its dramatic energy savings of up to 96% with higher luminance, therefore, the overall cost of using LED is less than others. Keep in mind that LEDs last up to 60,000 hours and produce virtually no heat making them highly cost effective over the long term especially when you factor in additional labor costs needed to replace conventional bulbs more often.

For additional information on these products and where to buy them, see www.longlifelamps.co.uk .

LED’s That Look Like Incandescents

Osram Sylvania, one of the largest lighting manufacturers in the world is scheduled to come out with an LED bulb in mid August that emits as much light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb. The 60 watt output bulb will consume only 12 watts and they claim to have another one out shortly that would have a 75 watt output equivalent. LED bulbs in general are expected to last 10-12 times longer than conventional ones.

However one of its competitors, Lighting Science, recently announced that Home Depot has started selling its LED bulbs. They also said they will come out with a 50 watt equivalent bulb that only uses 9 watts with a suggested retail price in the low $30 range.

General Electric, Panasonic, Lemnis Lighting and many others have announced or already released bulbs in the $40 range. These bulbs, however, only have and output equivalent of 40 watt bulb. While this is good, the general market acceptance is for 60 watt output bulbs. Another key factor is the color output. To be successful they will need to be in the 2700 Kelvin range or better (lower) so that they more closely resemble the yellow warm glow we like about incandescent bulbs as consumers are highly sensitive to color temperature (or tone) in bulbs. Surveys show that most still prefer the warm, yellowish light of incandescent bulbs to the bluish tone of older LEDs.

Although low prices will help drive massive adoption, performance and look will also make a huge difference in which companies do well.  As you can see by the above picture Osram Sylvania deliberately tried to get its LED bulb to look as much as possible as a conventional bulb.