EcoLEDs Announces Brightest Commercial LED Light Bulb Yet

Energy Daily ^ | May 23, 2007 | Staff Writers

[Ben Mugged]

Eco-friendly lighting company EcoLEDs.com has launched the brightest LED light bulb ever made available to consumers in the United States. Using just 10 watts and a single LED component made in the USA, the LED light uses just 1/10th the electricity of an incandescent light bulb and reduces CO2 emissions by 9,070 pounds over its life.

The EcoLEDs 10-watt LED light is available now. Incandescent light bulbs are now being globally recognized as extremely inefficient and outdated. Australia has already banned the energy-hungry light bulbs, and California is considering a state-wide ban. In time, all modern nations will ban incandescent lights due to their extreme inefficiency: they waste 95% of the electricity they consume as excess heat.

The mainstream push is towards compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), but consumers are not being told that CFLs contain toxic mercury. There's enough mercury in a single CFL to contaminate 7,000 gallons of fresh water, and if Americans continue to purchase CFLs -- then throw them away in local landfills -- the United States will soon be facing an unprecedented burden of toxic mercury in rivers, streams, croplands and oceans.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

I don't disagree with you. If you look at the discussion between Nathan Zachary and me on the other thread, you’ll see that I was just predicting what the next target of the ecofascists would be. They’re saying little about mercury now, because they want to convince, or coerce everyone to get CFL bulbs. Once we’re all hooked on them, then they’ll go after the mercury as toxic waste. At least, that’s my prediction.

[r9etb]

People like yellowish light for a reason. It's not perceived to be as "harsh".

Actually, I think it probably has more to do with the solar spectrum, which is biased to the yellow-green.

Not coincidentally, our eyes work best in that region. I think "whiter" lights tend to be more toward the UV side and thus are perceived as brighter and, as you say, more "harsh."

[TexasRepublic]

..I have personally yet never seen an LED burn out..

I have -- twice. I bought a couple LED flashlights that have the cluster of LEDs. After just a few hours use, I noticed that one LED in each flashlight no longer glowed.

[HamiltonJay]

I’d wonder about the QC of the LED or their connections at manufacture then... I have systems from 1980 who’s LED’s have blinked on and off TRILLIONS of times over their life and still work fine.

Low end product = low end result.

[HamiltonJay]

Personally I prefer a very bright white light, without flicker if you can find it.

[Politicalmom]

I bought some of the LED Christmas lights, and we had to move them outside because looking at them made everyone sick.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

I agree with your math and I too would like to see them rated in lumen. According to the web site, they seem to be relating it to the output of a 100W incandesant bulb, though even that is suspect:

"Our premium 10-watt EcoLED white light bulb that replaces a 100-watt regular bulb. Lasts 50,000 hours and saves you nearly $450 in electricity over its life*."

Assuming this is a apples to apples comparison they must mean that the light output (lumens) of the 10 watt LED is equal to the light output of a 100 watt incandescent. That would be about 1700 lumens.

The MTBF would also have to be taken into consideration when doing a cost comparison analysis.

[ansel12]

“I have — twice. I bought a couple LED flashlights that have the cluster of LEDs. After just a few hours use, I noticed that one LED in each flashlight no longer glowed.”

Those are probably no-name, generic Chinese flashlights.

I have been buying quality, brand name LED flashlights for my self and others for years, and I have never experienced a problem.

[Old Professer]

My first car was Found On the Road Dead; cost $50 to tow it home.

[Old Professer]

Like a candle; they dim gradually and sputter out.

[fireforeffect]

Except that modern landfills have plastic liners and leachate collection systems. Mercury is one of the items they monitor for.

Like all ecofreaks statements, this one is based on 1960’s data.

[Yo-Yo]

1 gallon of water weighs 3.8 Kg.

The EPA standard for mercury in drinking water is no more than 2 parts per billion.

Each CFL contains about 5 milligrams of Mercury.

So, that is 5 milligrams diluted into 2.5 billion miligrams of water, or 2.5 million grams, or 2,500 Kg of water.

2,500 Kg of water is about 660 gallons.

[Old Professer]

Here in Nashville, Tn., we routinely receive 126Volts on our commercial lines.

Bulbs burn brighter but last for shorter periods.

[Old Professer]

Mercury is pretty much omnipresent; it would be impossible to isolate sources without tagging processes.

See: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/mercury/l-2/mercury-5.htm

[Gorzaloon]

There's enough mercury in a single CFL to contaminate 7,000 gallons of fresh water, and if Americans continue to purchase CFLs -- then throw them away in local landfills -- the United States will soon be facing an unprecedented burden of toxic mercury in rivers, streams, croplands and oceans.

Haven't heard that before. If true, that's very bad news.

First, this is more an infommercial than an article.

Assuming the tiny amounts of mercury reach an aquifer, AND all of is it dissolved, then it might. In reality, mercury is locked up and rendered insoluble by many soil elements such as sulfur.

Another thing that is not mentioned is that we have been using conventional BIG fluorescent tubes for a couple of generations now..and they have visible droplets of mercury in them.

Now: How much mercury was released into the environement on the single day of 9-11 from all those fluorescent lamps?

This should put these little CF's into perspective.

[COBOL2Java]

Factor in what it costs to change light bulbs in some stairwells and emergency lighting units....and you don’t mind paying a lot for bulbs if they last for years and draw little juice.

I imagine the maintenance guys in places like this would appreciate these babies!

[Old Professer]

The only thing that really counts is whether you can see to step over Fido on the way to the bathroom at 3:00 A.M.

[Athwart]

Explain how this is supposed to replace a 100W bulb?

A 75w bulb from my bulb shelf: 1040 lumens.
This bulb: 400 lumens.

Also notice that the details page at the vendor spends about 80% of the time talking about saving the earth, but provides only sketchy information comparing the quality of the bulb with the cheaper alternatives.

[ChildOfThe60s]

One thing I never hear mentioned is that [IMO] incandesent bulbs still provide the most comfortable & eye friendly light.

[Tarpon]

If you haven’t already, convert all your flashlights to the LED bulb version. You won’t be sorry. Especially if you live in hurricane or earthquake or in fact any area where an emergency might hit — The LED flashlight bulbs improve light output while at the same time dramatically increasing ruggedness and battery life.

The dreaded Walmart is the place to start. While you are there check out the long life rechargeable batteries, and save even more money.

Emergency flashlights stored in cars should be switched over to LEDs and Lithium batteries so they will be there and working when needed. Lithium batteries are the only ones that can take the heat and work when needed.

The lowly flashlight can be your most important emergency tool, make sure it works for you. I am partial to Maglites, cheap and the work, the new LED versions are the best.

Hey, I own no stake in any of this stuff, except for being in the path of hurricanes year after year where the power can go off for days or weeks at a time.

LEd bulbs for the home are still a little too expensive, but the claims of 100,000 hour life and large energy savings are real. Most cities around here are converted to LED stop lamps and they claim the costs saved because of the cost to roll a truck to replace a bulb are worth it. Big fan of LED bulbs here, just not the price :<)