The End of an Era

Goodbye Mr. Edison

Thomas Edison created the first practical, long-lasting incandescent light bulb 131 years ago. On January 1st we start the process of phasing them out of use (in California we started a year ago). 100-watt bulbs are the first to go this year, and lower-wattage bulbs go each year until 2014 when finally 60-watt and smaller bulbs go.

Incandescent lamps are notoriously inefficient. They waste over 90% of the energy they consume as heat. New bulbs need to be at least 25% more efficient to be sold. CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) are typically 50 to 75% more efficient. They are more efficient and they last longer, which is usually the case for their higher cost. CFLs are now thought of as a “transitional product” as even more efficient LED lighting is being developed and produced.

Lighting Science Group, a company that makes LED (light-emmiting diode) lighting, says its LED sales revenue doubled in the last year and expects “exponential growth in 2012″, says Jim Haworth, the company’s CEO.

Ed Crawford, CEO of Philips Lighting North America says, “LEDs are dimmable, mercury-free, the most efficient and the longest-lasting.” The LEDs currently being produced have a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years. They are available in stores now and will continue to develop as a technology. LEDs are about 90% more efficient than a traditional incandescent bulb.

Lumens Instead of Watts

We associate “watts” with the “brightness” of a light bulb, but that’s really a measure of the amount of energy they consume. We’ll have to get used to using “lumens” as a true measure of brightness. A 100-watt incandescent light bulb is about 1,600 lumens, a 40-watt bulb about 450.