March 18, 2016
...AND CHEAPER...:
I just spent $154 on 26 lightbulbs, and you should too (Timothy B. Lee, March 7, 2016, Vox)In December, I spent $154 to buy 26 lightbulbs. That works out to about $6 per lightbulb -- way more than for conventional lightbulbs you'll find at the supermarket. But I expect to earn back that investment in lower electricity costs within a year or two -- and then save hundreds of dollars more over the next decade.
These were no ordinary lightbulbs. They're based on a cutting-edge technology called light-emitting diodes. LED lightbulbs consume about one-fifth as much electricity as an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light.
The savings will add up. The old-fashioned 60-watt bulbs I was replacing each cost an estimated $5 per year to run. Each of my new LED lightbulbs should only consume about $1 worth of electricity, saving me $4 per bulb, per year. So I'll be able to fully recoup my investment by mid-2017.
And here's the best part: While conventional bulbs often burn out within a year or two, LED bulbs are designed to last for 10 to 20 years.
Over the next decade, then, I can expect my $154 lightbulb investment to save me around $1,000 in electricity costs alone -- while also saving the cost and hassle of buying dozens of replacement bulbs.
And these aren't like those funny-looking compact fluorescent lights that turn on slowly and often give off unflattering light. LED bulbs look a lot like conventional bulbs and can produce light that's very similar to a conventional incandescent bulb.
Posted by Orrin Judd at March 18, 2016 9:08 AM