‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

NEAL TENHULZEN BROWNSVILLE,TEXAS — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:48:06 GMT

I remember how fascinated I was with LED watches back in the early '70s, in fact I ended up designing them for several major watch manufactures. Hopefully, the cost of LED lighting will come down as fast as it did in the digital watch business.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Greg, Chicago, IL — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:32:08 GMT

The problem with the LED lights is that they flicker. A small percentage of people’s eyes respond fast enough to see this. Unfortunately, I am one of these people. While I like the deeper colors and the idea of saving energy, it is very difficult to look at these LED Christmas lights. To control brightness, most of the car LED tail lights also flicker. It’s really annoying to follow one of these vehicles. There are ways to prevent the flickering (LED stoplights don’t seem to flicker) but it adds to the cost. Hopefully the LED manufactures will find a way to easily solve this problem.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Kevin Akin, Riverside, California — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:04:18 GMT

Four years ago, I cut my family electric bill from $90 monthly to about $12 by switching to compact flourescents for all lighting. Our few other uses for electricity include computers, a microwave oven and refrigerator, and a washing machine and drier. I figure that we could save about $72 a year by switching to LED lights when they become available. For us, and for most other working-class families, lower prices on LEDs are the key to switching over. Subsidies on compact flourescents enabled us to quit using wasteful incandescents. We can go to LEDs when price and availability let us replace 30 lights for $72. I hope this day comes soon.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Steve - Teaneck, NJ — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:51:00 GMT

LED and CF Lighting is, regrettably, one of those things where you need to spend money to make money. And anyone that does not think this is fact needs to look at the roofs of newly minted police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks and just try to FIND a strobe light . . . they're all LED. The reduction in alternator/generator power these lights allow, and thereby reductions in wire size and driving power, are significant, and Mayor Mike will see the savings from these arrays.

If the utility companies in this country had an ounce of common sense, they'd market LED and CF bulbs(and yes Virginia, even Christmas [dare I use the "C" word] tree lights) themselves and allow consumers an avenue to an at-least somewhat educated source instead of our D-I-Y centers where they think a watt is part of Abbott and Costello's Who's On First routine (and spelled the same way!!)

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Dave in NM — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:19:56 GMT

I just put our LED Christmas lights on the house for the third straight year. They're somewhat dimmer than incandescents, but they have a distinctive color palette that really sets our house apart from the neighbors'. So far, they're holding up great (although the bulbs aren't replaceable, a possible factor in long-term reliability). We've recently discovered the somewhat bluer "daylight" CFs, too, which eliminate the sallow cast that CFs tend to give people and objects, so we're migrating them throughout the house. Wanted: CF (or LED) replacements for two-prong compact halogen sockets, and low-watt bulbs that will work on a dimmer. Give us those, and we'll expunge tungsten (even our beloved Reveals) from the house.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Dave - Alexandria, VA — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:23:56 GMT

Another area where LED technology is emerging is in LCD flatpanel backlighting, in lieu of CCFL tubes. Not only do they save energy (typical LCD 50" TV uses about 300 watts, and much of that is the CCFL tubes) and last longer, they also can increase the image contrast ratio and the color "gamut" or range of displayable colors. Although expensive at the moment, hopefully they will be widely used and cheap in a few years.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Thoughtful, Denver, CO — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:57:31 GMT

My one concern (knowing this economy with it's backwards priorities) is that the energy companies will try to block largescale producetion of LED's. After all, if LED's can drastically reduce consumption, then demand goes down and so do their profits. Hopefully the demand for LED's outweighs the energy company's demand for outrageous profits.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

G Krasle, Seattle WA — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:13:11 GMT

I'll second the caveat about filling the world with blinky annoying LED technologies. For Christmas lights, the simple way they are designed probably makes it unavoidable that they blink in response to the AC mains (60 Hz [yuk] or 120 Hz [better]), but there is NO excuse for all those cars with taillights that look to me just like the flashing lights on ambulances. It's DANGEROUS! The reason they blink is to modulate the brightness: they're SUPPOSED to look half-as-bright when they are on half-the-time, but the blink rate is several times too low! SOME have an adequate rate; why don't they ALL? CF lamps (in fact, ALL fluorescents) used to blink (120Hz: I can see it), but modern ones are beautifully, gloriously, wonderfully "smooth." LCD TVs are soooo much less stressful than CRT (or plasma). But I guess I live in a Dog's World; my demographic is not part of the design considerations. Maybe "Fast See-ers" should proclaim ourselves "disabled"?

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

dpm san antonio — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:34:39 GMT

It sounds great, but why is no one disclosing that the leader in LED technology is the owner of the media market that is leading with this story. Conflict of Interest?????

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Bright Idea, Edison, NJ — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:57:30 GMT

Rodents chew through insulation on low voltage electrical devices such as LEDs - this is a major problem. Also, what is the environmental impact to manufacture LEDs - like manufacturing solar cells? I am not against LEDs, just pointing out almost nothing is 100% positive or negative (pun intended).

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

WRT, Aurora, CO — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:42:01 GMT

See also: Light Emitting Capacitor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_emitting_capacitor

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Frank, Fresno, CA — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:42:38 GMT

LED's may flicker but so do CFLs, which flicker at a rate that is more noticeable to a larger group of people. In an office setting the ballasts that power fluorescents lights effect computer equipment and I have heard, not seen any evidence to back this up, that the electomagnetic pulses created by the ballasts can stunt hair growth. Unlike fluorescents LEDs do not contain mercury and when dropped the do not shatter and release harmful vapors. I for one im glad to see it, except on the police car in my review mirror.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

David Beebe, Milpitas, California — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:50:22 GMT

LED flickering problems are all caused by poor application design. Improvements in design don't necessarily cost more money, just a smarter engineer. In all the reference designs that available from my company, flickering is addressed. Some companies understand and apply,the solutions, for some reason others don't.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

__ed faucette, Pinetop, AZ — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:26:58 GMT

The promise is great. Is it logical to assume that the near future will bring about household low-voltage wiring systems that will permit homeowner to install/change lighting to meet changing needs. Together with inexpensive, plug/play programmable RF relays, touch-pad controlls and indicator panels to show which remote lamps are burning, when the garage door is open, when a sump pump is operating, when the walk is iced or when the teen is on-line; or even when your old Cu/Al junctions are overheating. I believe that power companies will promote and subsidize energy savings to avoid the enormous cost of adding production capacity.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

gary — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:55:07 GMT

Rodents also chew through 110 house wiring - I had a house burn down because of it (I also witnessed pieces of aluminum foil that were chewed up by rodents). Solution? Get rid of the rodents.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Roland R. Kavelaar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:28:00 GMT

I have just SO "Had it" with the subtle critisim of the Lighting Industry! Hailing advancements of compact fluorescents and now LED's with an "It's about time" attitude ignores the fact that the Lighting Industry was one of the first to adopt broad and exacting standards for commercial products
over 100 years ago that allowed lighting specifiers (yes, they were there back then) to use the products of various manufacturers and get identical results in both the short and long term. The industry has a positive history of continuing to advance the art, science and value of illumination. Compare this to the wailing of the Automobile manufactures who claim
they can't make gas milage better than it was 25 years ago and use unreasistic MPG testing proceedures to further hoodwink the public.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Mark Jerling, Eagle River, Alaska — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:49:39 GMT

Dear Thoughtful. I always hear stories (but never hear specifics) about energy companies conspiring to kill new energy efficient technologies, like LEDs. I have worked for an oil company for 28 years and I have never heard of my company or any other energy company doing such a thing. We strive to save energy just like anyone else, and we have no problem with LEDs or any other technological advancement.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Mike Blankinship — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:21:28 GMT

LED lighting today is in a constant state of flux as it continues to evolve. The life span of an LED is much longer than an Incandescent and some of the other lighting solutions out there, but reality must exist when looking at what "life" actually means. In certain colors LEDs can last as long as 100,000 hours, but by 100,000 hours it is barely a pinpoint of light. Most LED manufacturers tell you to figure on replacement at the LED half life (50%)...even so, an LED comparitively is still an improvement in life span, energy consumption and they put out a lot less heat.
As with any technology that is evolving we have to have patience, the technology will catch up with the need.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Joe Winters, San Franciso, California — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:24:19 GMT

Unfortunately LED's, and Flourescents cannot be easily dimmed with out special dimmers, so the user has to rely specific power rating when purchasing the lamps. The way this is accomplished with LED's is by buying fixtures with multiple LED's, and cutting of power to some of them.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Chris, Mechanicsburg, Pa — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:32:18 GMT

Isn't is convenient that NBC
is making a big deal about LED's since their parent company GE stands to profit big time from LED's.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Ted, Rochester,NY — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:42:22 GMT

Get serious by taxing regular tungsten lamps. CFs have been on the market for 15 years and still we are not buying them. We have to reduce the amount of energy consumed. Or we will be building more power plants, importing more oil and adding to global warming.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Frank Rodriguez — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:12:09 GMT

I'm an electrical engineer so I find the issue of flicker rather like a simple nuisance, easily corrected- rather than an endemic problem that we're stuck with. Flickering in lights is caused by the power being applied in a non-steady way, such as using AC or poorly filtered rectified AC to operate the lights. LEDs respond quickly, so non-filtered rectified AC (a fluctuating DC voltage) applied to the lamp will cause a flicker at the frequency (rate of fluctuation) of the power being applied. Solutions include better filtering, using a higher switching frequency (where this can be controlled, like in multiplexed displays), and increasing the persistance (how long the light takes to decay away on removal of voltage) of the light emitter -among others. So, the flicker is an easily fixed phenomenon- fixed easily by proper design. Filter those power supplies!

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

mike — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:17:40 GMT

I switched many household bulbs from incandecent to compact flourecent, replacing 60-100 watt bulbs with 18 watt flourecents.

i remember the days when the electric co. gave away coupons for incandecent bulbs, giving them away to sell more energy. 100 watts for each lamp.

i think these new technologies have the potential to lower energy consumption in homes and comercial applications as well.

I am very aware that half the electricity we use comes from coal fired power plants that reliece huge amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury into our atmousphere.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Jon Johnson, Washington, DC — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:41:22 GMT

I fully support investigating and investing in energy saving technologies; however, like "dpm san antonio", I think the conflict of interest between NBC News and it's parent company GE should be noted, not to take away anything from LED lights, but only to see how the man behind the curtain works. What else has NBC News been pimping at GE's behest?

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Greg Benz, Clarksville, OH — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:08:46 GMT

I welcome lEDs as another alternative form of lighting. I use CFLs now in my home, and LEDS for Xmas lights. However, I believe in market driven choices; I do not want to see our government legislte their use. They are not economically viable for low usage areas such as closets, ovens and refrigerators, so consumers should have a choice. Also, both CFds and LEDs create electonic noise that can dergrade sound quality in high-ensd audio equipment, necessuitating an expensive power supply filter. CFDs also do not work well in cold weather, though I think LEDs may not have this problem,.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Michael — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:21:07 GMT

"My one concern (knowing this economy with it's backwards priorities) is that the energy companies will try to block largescale producetion of LED's."

Good luck with that. Semiconductor companies have tons of money and I dont think the energy companies have alot of clout with them. They also are often run,at least in the US by people who are not very receptive to such tactics.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Henry Gibson, Portland OR — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:48:57 GMT

Some European railways use 16 2/3 Hz power in the catenaries and even the glowing filaments in standard lamps flicker. Rectifiers and capacitors in the right place will stop the flicker. It is likely that the LED Christmas light sets will run on Direct current, and eliminate the flicker. Someone could make a plug in filter for DC production as they are built into every desktop computer. The regular light sets will run on DC too, but most appliances will not. Almost all CFLs rectify the incomming AC and run the lamp at high frequency. I have run CFL lamps with a set of 9 volt radio batteries plugged together.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

russ reed — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:23:44 GMT

The only reason LEDs appear to flicker in certain applications is because the cheap-ass design of the appliance ( christamas lights ) are supplied with 60hz AC current without adequate regulation.
This 60hz "city-power" or "household socket power"
needs to be regulated by a powersupply unit that smooths out the 60 hertz AC pulses.
LEDs fed regulated DC ( direct current ) never flicker, and the DC circuitry found in tail-lights of many vehicles actually produce a pulse frequency -on purpose, to increase visibility at a distance.
So, LEDs actually are flicker-free, except when the power supplied to them isnt steady.
Household incandescent bulbs wont flicker when supplied 60 hz power from a wall socket because the bulb itself doesnt stop producing light between cycles ( or pulses ) like LEDs will. the filament will stay lit between the pulses since the tungsten wire inside doesnt cool down between the 60hz cycles.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Mom, California — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:54:44 GMT

Wanted: warm color LEDs! Is there such a thing! Also, the solar lanterns we got for our yard are also cold appearing. We took them out.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

R.R. Los Angeles, CA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:04:09 GMT

I think the idea is great, and I too notice the blinking on some cars with the LED's and am glad to know I'm not alone in that! I find it more tollerable than those irritating people who change the rear lights to have a clear white light for retina searing turn indicators though so given the choice I'd go LED. I think it's great that LED's are getting out into the mainstream just as OLED's are starting to replace LCD's in other markets (http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/oled.htm). The applications for these technologies seems to just barely be scratching the surface, and energy conservation is a very important issue these days. Maybe with the inroads made by these and other energy saving technologies we may be able to sustain society on greater and greater percentages of renewable energy to exhaustable (ie. if we use 10% renewable worldwide now but we can use 90% less energy worldwide through these types of advances, that 10% becomes pretty close to enough to sustain us)

Also, a question to "dpm san antonio". Is it Microsoft or NBC that you are saying poses the conflict of interest? Is it a conflict of interest because they are feeding us misleading information either about themselves or the competition? I could see it being self serving as an advertisement, but I was unaware of the link between either party and the LED manufacturing world on the whole. Could you cite a reference to that please?

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Lee Strandberg, Kingston, WA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:48:49 GMT

I just wish the LED Christmas lights and the regular house hold LED lights were easily available in the stores. Wallmart hears your chance to really help America.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Graham Cliff, Manchester, England — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:46:30 GMT

LEDS are well and good BUT what about the glory of the night sky? Kids actually believe that the stars, mankind's inspiration for millenia, are just movie SFX. Light on the ground is good but light in the sky is not! This wasted energy should should be charging our EVs at night. It should not be wasted, doing no more than lighting the "bums" of birds?

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Ain Long-Downing Colchester CT — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:59:12 GMT

This is in response to David Beebe, what company do you work for and what does your company design? hyperlink please? We are all curious to know more about alternatives. and would be glad to tout your company and find out what designs are available.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

M Rosenberg — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 13:35:05 GMT

LEDs for general illumination are here now! Costs will come down over time like any emerging technologies but new products like the new lamp assemblies from Nebula Lighting Systems now will replace 50W Halogen and 75W and 100W incandescent.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Chris, Franksville, WI — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:03:55 GMT

The DOE did testing of indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures. The test are available from their web site. http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/comm_testing.htm These tests also confirm that some companies are much farther ahead of others for LED efficiency and light output.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Duane Popham, Pittsburgh, PA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:14:56 GMT

Great story? While we all focus on the potential benefits of LED lighting and reduced energy costs, I didn't see anywhere in this article or as part of the recent NBC evening news when this storyline was presented that NBC is owned by GE, one of the largest producers of LED lighting. I wonder if GE would publish the report that tracks the financial push that these commercials generate? I would have expected NBC to divulge the conflict of interest in how this story was presented.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

efudd — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:54:36 GMT

these messages sound like people from GE giving out info. oh thats right ...GE owns NBC.... I dont seem to see that anywhere in the article!!

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Jim D, Two Rivers, Wi. — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:18:20 GMT

I work as a security officer on the 3rd shift. I have tried using several types of flashlights using LED technology, but they just don't compare to to the lights using Krypton bulbs. Until the industry can come up with a suitable LED flashlight I will stay away from them.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Ryan, Danville CA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:23:54 GMT

I have to agree with the flicker problems. I think there should be a standard on flicker. Most people do not care but at the end of the day it is a serious issue. I find myself having to shield my eyes from some of these lights or they give me a headache. There are so many dangers for those who can see the flicker because it is a major distraction. This goes for CF and DLP technologies as well.

LED needs to come out with a better white though. The one issue with CF and LED have been the way they light rooms. The light can be a little harsh. CF has come a long way in improving the color experience.

Nobody has mentioned the best part about LED lighting, what's up having all those colors? Nothing like decorating for every holiday, teenagers who want colored lighting, and other great uses such as garden/pool lighting.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Charlie, Eugene, Oregon — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:32:49 GMT

I agree with Thoughtful from Denver, Here in Oregon when the state realized that people driving hybrid cars used less gas, (lower gas tax revenues) the government started talking about a milage tax.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Josh Levin — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:33:42 GMT

In answer to "Thoughtful, Denver", utility companies make more money when overall demand is lower and more constant. Why? Because their baseline generating capacity (the generators that are on 24-hours a day) make electricity at lower cost than the peak generators (those that are on only when demand is the highest).

Therefore, regulated utility companies have an incentive to encourage their customers to use electricity more efficiently, and have done so for decades,

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Larry Johnson, San Jose, CA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:46:05 GMT

I would think they could include a small and variable 60cycle delays in each bulb so that a total array would look somewhat flicker-free... I am sure the electronic guys will figure that out.
Also the Power Companies want energy saving devices(contrare to some thinking).. as they do not want to build new and expensive and polluting power plants. They will make plenty of money with a growing population to soak up any energy saving, power decrease.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Michael Flood, Rossland BC Canada — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:51:19 GMT

For all of you that have been trying to buy LED bulbs for your homes and businesses, we have been trying to reach you. Please visit us at www.mountainhighdesigns.ca for more information. We offer complete design services as well as DIY support and direct LED sales. We can answer all of your questions and concerns about "flickering" LEDs. Please remember with all consumer items, if they are cheap to buy, they are cheap to make, if you would like good quality you might have to spend a little more up front for big payoffs in the long run.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Paul K, Alamo, CA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:10:05 GMT

The flickering is 1st generation drivers. As bright light multi-LEDs bulbs become more common, you will find low cost drivers which use fast PWM (pulse control) to ensure that you do not see the flicker. It may be on 1/2 the time (50% duty cycle), but if the pulse rate is 1KHz or higher, you will not be able to see it.
The real problem with the 1st generation is only that the manufacturers are LED manufacturers, not electronics experts.
New fluorescent installations do not flicker because the manufacturers have moved from transformers and capacitor starters to electronic controls. CFLs contain all this in the bulb, so replacing an old one will stop the flicker. Shop and office light installations (long tubes) have the transformer/starter in the housing, so will not get better until someone replaces the whole unit (expensive).

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

JT, Milwaukee, WI — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:15:31 GMT

I cannot drive behind any car with LED tail lights. The instant-on/instant-off combined with the high intensity is dangerous, especially at night. It is harder to recover 'night vision' after getting blasted by the lights, and the lack of ramp-up like their incandescent counter-parts makes it tough to know if the braking was/is critical or not. I've spoken with other people who, like me, get "LED spots".

I agree with G Krasle about the blinking LEDs on the cars. Arrgghhhh. I can tell when someone's home computer monitor is set below a refresh rate of 85Hz, and let me tell you - it hurts! :)

I like LED technology and what it can do for energy savings, but there are some important factors to consider (aesthetics, harshness, intensity, flicker) before its too late. Alas, the LED tidal wave is coming...

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

John Doe O'Rily, Hunington WV — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:16:45 GMT

Strang did not know that dc flickered on cars!

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

S. G. Pittsburgh, PA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:40:13 GMT

Why don't you mention that these lights are made by GE which ownes NBC!!! This and so many other "news" stories are nothing but ads for these lights!!! You, Brian Williams and so many people associated with NBC should be ashamed!!! Why do you always find it so hard to tell the truth?

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Margie, Seattle, WA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:19:11 GMT

That's because most engineers don't know **** about esthetics. I'm sorry, I know I should be 'green' but I hate the light fluorescents make and I can not stand the flickering. Until the producers of these types of lights clean that up (no flickering and full-spectrum) I won't be using them.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Sam Kedem, Hastings, MN — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:49:52 GMT

perhaps someone can define a bit more precisely what consitutes 'Revolution' from 'Evolution'. Recalling elementary school some 50 yrs back, 20 years are not considered 'Revolution' by any stretch. Likewise the US administration needs a better definition of it's energy policy, if such exists, lipservice not withstanding

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Mark, iowa — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:29:43 GMT

how good is LED for new home construction? where available and how to select size for lumin issues?
thanks...

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Even more green, Russellville, Ar. — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:16:40 GMT

Electric companies often have to buy electricity from other utilities at very high cost to serve their customers during peak useage times. Electric companies promote conservation. I work for one that sponsors switching to CFLs.

Flickering flourescent lights are a result of the design of the ballast. CFL's use an electronic ballast that switches at a frequency so high I would be inclined to discount claims by anyone who says they "see" it. Old style magnetic ballasts, purely passive devices, are the culprits that contribute to the 120hz flicker phenomenon.

Correcting flickering LEDs for the sake of brightness control has an easy fix. Higher base frequency pulse width modulation would result in faster on-off switching with shorter on times. The downside is that higher frequency designs typically lead to higher manufacturing costs.

Considering that a 100watt bulb lit continously for 1 year would require over 800lbs of coal to be burned at the local power station, is a little inconvenience caused by flickering that much to deal with? The technology will only improve.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

brian Portland , Maine — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:52:57 GMT

LEDs are the way to go. CFLs might be cheaper to run, but they emit a nasty looking light. I'll pay a premium if I have to to keep using them. The downside of LEDs is that the corporations have to maintain their dividends, so the less power we all use, the more it is going to cost. Similar thing with gas- we can cut back all we want, but the price will never drop, because of the demand from overseas.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Bryan Brown, Kerrville,Texas — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:57:46 GMT

Led lighting is dimmable, I am an electrician and I just got through retro fitting a house that had multiple dimmer banks, and the leds worked smoothly( but you CANNOT dim cfl's!). I would definately recommend them to anyone who wants to save energy, and wants the dimmable option.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Jay Dee — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:38:52 GMT

CFL's and LED's are very popular year round throughout China. They have developed many uses of them from large outdoor TV's, store lighting and simple house bulbs. The are safe for use as no heat is emitted. The newer super-bright LED's are catching on, and depending on the programming move as fast as lightning in signs. Some LED bulbs have more than one color in the housing (white/blue/yellow/red) so the combinations of color are limited by the rainbow, it's amazing to watch Vegas style displays all in LED here. The costs in the US (for household bulbs) are very much higher and the output is lower than other lighting types from what I've seen so far. The prices will drop eventually.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Quivil, Los Angeles — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:58:24 GMT

Greg in Chicago, LEDs do NOT flicker. They operate on DC current, and only flicker if they are "pulsed" intentionally. It adds to the cost when MAKING them flicker, you've got it the wrong way around. You have to add circuitry to make them flicker It's MUCH easier and less costly to make them stay on constantly.

There's no reason why home lighting would have to be made to flicker, and for the reason you stated, they will manufacture them so as not to flicker.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Pamela Dean, San Antonio TX — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:37:30 GMT

For MR11, MR16, auto, , home led's, see:
autolumination dot com

Look on eBay for incandescent replacements and more, even replacements for the long fluorescent tubes.

Myself, I have led night lights, some incandescent replacements in my home, and I use red and blue led's to grow orchids indoors. Look for "grow lights" on eBay, or the colored incandescent replacements (E27-base screw-ins).

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

judith mathews selmer tn — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 01:00:04 GMT

I would like to see how the theatrical lighting industry is applying these lights .Please more info .

.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

don murrin — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 02:05:57 GMT

The real cost of these is nominal. Solar voltage panels are being manufactured very cheaply. The mark up for these items is criminal. If folks could buy these items at cost. The electric company moguls would be hit so hard in the shorts. All the Green ideas born in the 60's and 70's got shelved. In the new century these technologys have been reengineered with new/cheap material. The monopolies will never give up the strangle hold on us. The high mileage carbarator got suppressed. And wont ever be produced. If you find any info. Try Pogue Carb. They exist.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Ian, Seattle, WA — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 02:47:56 GMT

Seems candles flicker, too. It's rather charming.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Richard, Memphis, TN — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 03:40:56 GMT

LEDS will only pulse if the power supply is rippling. A design or equipment flaw. As far as their uses, I asked my college professors in 1989 about using them for general lighting applications. I think they are a great idea. Saves power and offers a great alternative to incadescent lighting, ccfl, and compact fluorescents.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 03:52:45 GMT

LED flickering is not necessarily poor design. Since household power is AC and diodes only allow current in one direction, the diodes are only on part of the time. The only true way to stop the flickering on household lights would be to use a filtered DC power supply, sort of similar to the power cube transformers used on smaller household electronics.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Bob T.Pigeon Forge,Tn — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 03:55:56 GMT

As was mentioned brfore, if the demand goes down for electricity the power co will have to make more money somehow. They will then raise rates to boost the lower demand. This happened in NJ when we had energy problems they asked people to conserve energy and then they lost money and raised the rates. The LED is great and I am all for saveing energy, bdo not want to be punished for doing so.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Bob T.Pigeon Forge,Tn — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 03:57:10 GMT

As was mentioned before, if the demand goes down for electricity the power co will have to make more money somehow. They will then raise rates to boost the lower demand. This happened in NJ when we had energy problems they asked people to conserve energy and then they lost money and raised the rates. The LED is great and I am all for saveing energy, bdo not want to be punished for doing so.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Bob T.Pigeon Forge,Tn — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 03:57:11 GMT

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Robert Troy, Ohio — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:57:05 GMT

I agree with Greg from Chicago about the hard to look at car taillights! The new LED taillights in all Cadillac models really bother my eyes at night.

I don't know exactly what it is, but they are difficult to look at. ???

I know I'm not alone in this either.

My wife complains of eye problems after view LED lightbars on Emergency vehicles.

There is a phenomenom where some people are more subjective to seizures after viewing flashing LED lights.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Robert D ,Minersville ,PA — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:02:32 GMT

they are replacing most of the traffic lights and walk signs in this area to LED which is great because the light seems to travel further in the fog and rain,
which in my opinion is a good thing heck I can see emergency vehicle lights flashing a couple miles away the reason for this is the light wave length ,the wave length is alot more longer than an incandescent bulbs wave length which allows it to travel further ,a good example of this is a regular incandescent bulb is a regular wave at the beach looks impressive and powerful especially where surfers ride them ,now an LED is like a tsunami and don't look like much at first but it can travel further in land as we all know all too well.
As soon as I can I am converting my S10 to LED lighting and when a headlight conversion is avaible I'm doing that as well and then my truck is worth more as well .

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Jim Kelehan, Roland, Iowa — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:55:39 GMT

We are a mfg of LED products. Some of the statements are correct. The biggest issue facing LED's are the total light output. Particularly when trying to replace a lamp in a home/office. Technology is rapidly changing. Today we have LED lamps that give off the same color light as a standard incandescent lamp. We also have a cool white lamp that is a little darker blue than a fluorescent lamp. The technology is changing rapidly and as LED performance increases, you will see more products on the market.

LED lamps in a typical home should last between 35 and 40 years. In an office environment they will last about 20 years, or just leave them on and they are designed to last 10 years.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Michael Mission Viejo, CA — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 23:42:31 GMT

LED lights do not have mercury in them. A major and often neglected fact regarding CFL's.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Bob Blake — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:30:39 GMT

Remember LED's do not emit a heat plume as to standard incandescent bulbs, both low voltage like on trucks signals or headlights and traffic signals, railroad crossings. In the northern areas where snow and ice typically can blot out these lights but with incandescent at least with the heat plume it melts it away. Try that with an LED. Hmmm, install heaters? hmmm, more energy. Probably not insurmountable, but hopefully before someone gets killed.

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Alex, Toronto On Canada — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:14:26 GMT

I've filled the house with DAYLIGHT CFL'S but I do not notice any of them flickering. I don't notice the led's do it either.
I have purchased many CFL's and already 4 of the $ 10 bulbs have died before their 7 year lifespan was up and they were not used much. I bought them about four years ago and they died about two years later.
With regard to Christmas light LEDs I had one string of yellow LEDs that the hydro company gave me on an incandescent exchange fail on the second year-only half the string of 70 bulbs would light up. Happily the power company replaced the string with a new one the following Christmas (last year) when they were doing another exchange. I tried to find a loose wire or cut wire but there was none. So I disagree with this quote from the article:
"Assistant Secretary of Energy Andy Karsner says with respect to LED holiday lights, "When you buy them once, you'll probably be buying them for the rest of your life. You won't have to replace them; they won't short out; they don't overheat; they'll last for 40 years or longer.""
Even though I've taken measures to reduce power consumption, including disabling my computer from the mains by means of a power bar, I find that the savings don't come to much. I find that the hydro company charges me more to deliver the electricity than the one I consume. For example, if the bill says I used $ 50 dollars of power in two months the charge to provide the electricity to the house is $ 60. Certainly doesn't appear as an incentive. I also saw a news item yesterday from a led bulb maker in which he said that you could get led lights in place of CFLs for the same price now but that sellers would charge more because they can. The bulbs are made up of multiple white LEDs. I just did a search and came up with this site that has led bulbs of all sorts at $ 50 each for the most dear.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/MR16_specs.htm

‘Expect a revolution in lighting’

Josef, Pittsburgh — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:30:20 GMT

In reply to another post, LED lighting in emergency vehicles is energy efficient, but more importantly provides greater safety for police, medics and firefighters as the lights used on emergency vehicles remains bright even during the most sunny summer day. LED emergency lighting is resistant to shock and vibration, lengthening their service life