GeoBulb II is on the market as a direct replacement for a traditional 60 watt incandescent lamp. Their website claims a 30,000 hour life span (compared to just 1,000 for an incandescent and 2,500 for a CFL). The light bulb gives off the same amount of light while using just 7.5 watts which comes out to around $3 a year in electricity costs. An incandescent would be closer to $30 without including the cost of replacing a burned out bulb. There is no hazardous material (unlike the CFL which has a trace amount of mercury). All this sounds too good to be true right?
Well, it is true. However there's a catch. This bulb costs $120. At such a price it would seem like there would be no way to justify this purchase, but if you look at the numbers it's clear. According to their website, over the 30,000 hour life span the GeoBulb II costs (electricity + initial price tag) $147. During that same span an incadescent will run you $243. But today, the solution for cost effectiveness is the CFL which only costs $107 over 30,000 hours. When the price of the LED comes down to $80 it will be competitive over its life span with the CFL.
The lesson here is that despite the extremely high initial cost this one light bulb can save you over $100. That's one light bulb at a price that is surely to come down. Imagine all the light bulbs you have ever seen and multiply that by 100. That is the price and energy savings that will come with a dramatic shift to LED lighting.
This dramatic shift will not come without consumers. It took the CFL a few years after being introduced into the market until it was successful on the shelf next to an incandescent. Research and development money will need to continue to work towards lowering the initial cost of an LED. It is not hard to believe that this will happen, and if the price tag of the GeoBulb can get to $5, the total cost of the bulb would be a miniscule $32 (over $200 savings off an incandescent).
Check out GeoBulb here.
Savings comparison chart here.
2 comments:
I totally agree that LED lighting will eventually be the standard. I also agree that people need to support these manufacturers so prices will eventually drop. My whole house is outfitted with LED and CFL lighting. Another very reputable company that I discovered is EarthLED. I have purchased several of their LED bulbs and have found them to be quite satisfactory. I have two of the CL-5 bulbs and two of their Tri-Spectra bulbs. The CL-5 bulbs sell for $60 and Tri-Spectra sell for $30 each. The quality of light is very good. On a different note, I've also found $7 LED bulbs sold at Wal-Mart in Champaign. The price is right and the light is satisfactory, but I've found that they seem to burn out quite prematurely. On the upside, they only use 1 watt of electricity. I guess the old saying "you get what you pay for" applies.
Thanks Matt,
I agree with your assessment, and that CFL's are the best option at the present time. I've also found some discrepancies in the data provided by C.Crane. They claim that the average life of a CFL is 2500 hours, and the cost of a 13-watt CFL is $5.00. I've found data stating that the average life of a CFL is 10,000 hours, and I've purchased CFL's for less than $2.00 each. As it was in the 70's, we STILL can't trust those who sell alternative-energy products. That's a shame, and is a setback for those of us who care about the planet and future generations.
John
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