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A Brief History of the Light Bulb
LED Rebates
The electric light, one of the everyday conveniences that
most affects our lives, was not “invented” in the traditional sense in 1879 by Thomas Alva Edison, although he
could be said to have created the first commercially practical incandescent light. He was neither the first nor the
only person trying to invent an incandescent light bulb. In
fact, some historians claim there were over 20 inventors
of incandescent lamps prior to Edison’s version. However,
Edison is often credited with the invention because his
version was able to outstrip the earlier versions because
of a combination of three factors: an effective incandescent material, a higher vacuum than others were able to
achieve and a high resistance that made power distribution from a centralized source economically viable.
State Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) set energy savings goals. Energy savings are an alternative to the capital expense of expanding
power plant capacity.
Contact your local utility to learn about LED lighting and other rebate opportunities.
Buy Lumens, Not Watts
Lumen - a unit of standard measurement that is
used to describe the amount of light contained
in an area as perceived by the human eye. The
more lumens, the brighter the light. You can use
lumens to compare the brightness of any bulb,
regardless of the technology behind it, and regardless of
whether it's incandescent, CFL or LED.
To help consumers better understand the switch from watts to
lumens, the Federal Trade Commission requires a new product
label for light bulbs. It helps people buy the light bulbs that are
right for them.
Like the helpful nutrition label on food products, the Lighting
Facts label helps
consumers understand what they are
really purchasing.
The label clearly provides the lumens -or brightness -- of
the bulb, the estimated operating
cost for the year,
and the color of the
light (from warm/
yellowish, to white to
cool/blue).
Light Bulb Quiz
Mercury in CFLs
#1 The first spiral compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL)
appeared on the market in 1995. But when was the deCFLs contain trace amounts of mercury – only about four sign invented?
milligrams (mg) in each bulb. That’s an infinitesimal
1902
1959
1976
1990
amount compared with old thermometers, which contain #2 Which country was the first to phase out incandescent light bulbs?
about 500 mg of mercury, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because electricity use
Australia
Cuba
Japan
The United States
is the main source of mercury emissions in the United
#3 What is the internationally recognized unit for brightness of a light source (in other words, the light source's
States, the EPA says CFLs actually reduce the total
amount of mercury in the environment because they use perceived power)?
less electricity than traditional bulbs.
Watts
Volts
Lumens
Color temperature
#4 What percentage of energy, used by a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb, is converted to visible light?
Recycling CFLs



Find recycling and waste centers in your area that
have hazardous waste drop-off locations
through Earth911.
Visit local retailers that have in-store recycling. For
instance, Lowe’s and Home Depot stores both have
CFL recycling programs.
Learn about mail-back services that provide prelabeled recycling kits you can use to send CFLs to
recycling centers.
2.6%
5.8%
12.5%
18.7%
22.4%
#5 A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is an energy
efficient alternative to the regular incandescent light
bulb. How much of the energy, used by a CFL, is converted to light?
3.2%
7.7%
18.4%
23.9%
67.2%
#6 Replacing a single incandescent light bulb with a
compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half a ton.
True
False
Cost Comparison between LEDs, CFLs
and Incandescent light bulbs
LED
CFL
Incandescent
Light Output
LEDs
CFLs
Incandescents
50,000 hours
10,000 hours
1,200 hours
Lumens
Watts
Watts
Watts
450
5-Apr
12-Aug
40
10
14
60
300 - 900
8-Jun
13 - 18
60
$1.25
1100 - 1300
13-Sep
18 - 22
75 - 100
1600 - 1800
2600 - 2800
16 - 20
25 - 28
23 - 30
30 - 55
100
150
$3.95
500
700
3000
$50
$70
$300
1
5
42
$35.95
$85.75
$19.75
$89.75
$52.50
$352.50
Notes:
- Cost of electricity will vary. The figures used above are for comparison only, and are not exact.
Residential energy costs among the various states range from 28.53 cents (Hawaii) to 6.34 cents
(Idaho) per KWH.
- The cost per bulb for LEDs may vary. We used the figure of $35.95 (for a 60 watt equivalent LED
bulb) as an average among lighting retailers.
- Estimates of bulb lifespan are projected, since it would take about 6 years of continuous lighting
to test. Some manufacturers claim the new LED bulbs will last up to 25 years under normal
household use, but this is not proven.
- Bulb breakage and bulb replacement costs have not been factored into this comparison chart.
Incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs are more easily broken than LEDs, which increases their cost
of use.
- Most LEDs come with a minimum 2-year guarantee. Any defective LED bulb will usually fail within
this time.
Sources:
http://eartheasy.com/live_led_bulbs_comparison.html#a
http://lumennow.org/energy-saving-choices/cfls-choosing-the-right-type/
http://www.bulbs.com/learning/history.aspx
http://eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/lumens-and-lighting-facts-label
http://www.cree.com/Lighting/Tools-and-Support/Rebates
Comparing the features of Incandescent,
CFL and LED bulbs
Frequent On/Off
Cycling
Turns on instantly
Durability
Heat Emitted
Sensitivity to
temperature
Sensitivity to
humidity
Hazardous Materials
Replacement
frequency
(over 50k hours)
LEDs
CFLs
Incandescents
no effect
shortens lifespan
some effect
yes
slight delay
yes
durable
fragile
medium (30
btu's/hr)
fragile
low (3 btu's/hr)
high (85 btu's/hr)
no
yes
some
no
yes
some
none
5 mg mercury/
bulb
none
1
5
40+
Quiz Answers
$35.95
#1 1976 #2 CUBA #3 Lumens
#4 2.6 %
The incandescent light bulb wastes most of its energy as heat, which is why you will burn yourself if you
grab a light bulb that is turned on.
#5 7.7%
Although it may not seem like 7.7% is very energy efficient, it is 3x more efficient than a regular incandescent light bulb.
#6 True
Generating electricity produces greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Replacing a light
bulb with a CFL reduces the amount of electricity consumed. This indirectly reduces the amount of
greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere. Over the life of the CFL (which is the same lifespan as at
least 8 regular light bulbs), this accounts for half a ton of greenhouse gases.
Light bulb projected lifespan
Watts per bulb
(equiv. 60 watts)
Cost per bulb
KWh of electricity used over
50,000 hours
Cost of electricity (@ 0.10per
KWh)
Bulbs needed
for 50k hours of
use
Equivalent 50k
hours bulb expense
Total cost for
50k hours
Equivalent wattages and light output of Incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs