LED Lightbulb Shines as Incandescent one Fades

I would love to use LED lamps in my house, but at present, they are much too expensive. I see prices of 25 to 60 dollars for a single lamp. When they come down to under $5, we might be able to afford to use them. Naturally the manufacturers are weighing the cost of producing long lasting LED lamps versus loss in sales due to longevity.

One huge downfall to LED lighting is the lack of ultraviolet light emissions which your body still needs. A person that never was exposed to the sun and spent all their time under LEDs would eventually get very sick.

Just take vitamin D. I already do. I don't keep enough lights on anyway. Also, very little UV in an incandescent spectrum unless it is halogen.

Correct - if we had to get all our vitamin D from incandescent bulbs in the home we would be in deep doodoo!

I suppose it depends on what you mean my "effectively". I'll keep the UV glass filters on my halogen lamps anyway since I have seen data that would seem to contradict.

The technology of making high efficiency, reliable and prdictable life LED's are made by few companies. They seem to have a cartel to keep the prices high. Many small manufacturers have products which are not reliable. The committment to environmental benifits and to the society in general is not primary for them. Only driven by profits they can make, with technology they possess.

Mahaveer Bhandari

No cartel - just new technology on the market. İt will come down rapidly when mass production starts. Nothing is any different in this regard.

If you look at spectrum of Sun light, you will see it is continuous. The same, incandescent bulbs. LEDs and fluorescent gas discharge bulbs produce tiny strips of several colors that fool imagination looking as if it is white. But it is not.

Artificial light, even produced by candles with real flame, never intended to replace sunlight that is vital for living creatures. No matter how good an artificial light is, in order to maintain health (both mental and somatic) we have to be exposed to sunlight in the morning, moon light late evening, otherwise our main glands, Pituitary Gland, and Pineal Gland, that command other organs, can't function properly.

Peace Profound!

Anatoliy Lisovskiy AKA Wavebourn

I replaced all my halogen can lights a couple of years ago with the cfl's (about $200 worth), then have replaced them again, one at a time. Some of them more than once. I believe I have about 3 that are burnt out now. I suppose this is how they save energy.

I wonder if the eventual price per bulb would not be the same. Assuming the led's would last as long as the advertising says they will.

I have kept all the bad ones - not so much as a worry for incorrect disposal, but in the hopes I could shove------ I mean give them back to the manufacturer.

You either bought cheap stuff or have a power problem in your home. I have exactly the opposite experience as do the vast majority of CFL users.

I used to replace the incandescents on the outside of my garage every couple months. I replaced them with CFLs which I got free in a package from my utility as a part of an energy savings promotion. They are still going strong three years later. I am sold on the little buggers for that application however, my wife will not have them in the house because the light is the wrong color... She likes the slight yellow tint of the incandescents. Reminds me of using Kodak Ektachrome film back in the day...

CFLs contain Mercury. Why did we introduce them to replace incandescents? Are we saving the Tungsten for tank shells?

Although LEDs have a limited spectrum, they are the future. RGB LEDs will give a good enough white colour, because the eye is easily fooled, being almost as limited as the LED.

CFLs contain very little mercury - this is a non-problem as far as I am concerned. LED color problems are becoming less all the time as more work is done. I expect that in 10 years time it will be ancient history. Tungsten in tank shells - trying to start a new 'green' rumor?

Why did we relace incandescents with CFLs. CFLs contain Mercury. Are we saving Tungsten for tank shells?

LEDs are the future. They may have a limited spectrum, but use RGB LEDs and they will fool the eye because it has similar limitations to the LEDs, spectrum-wise.

Incandescent lamps are banned in the EEC now so yes in Europe they will be replaced.

Nothing to do with cost it is just the law !!

Big business does not care for the environment.

Cost effectiveness is to much to answer I think you have to do some tests and study a bit.

I prefer the US solution of forcing the manufacturers to make the incandescents more efficient and maintaining the use of them in areas where they are more effective than other lamps.

What will we do for lamps in appliances such as ovens and fridges?

In Europe, Australia or Canada you have to ask you MP. They must know since they made the law.

In the US you just continue to buy incandescents for those specialty applications.

Very good information