Case Study on Transition from Standard Bulbs to LED Bulbs

Introduction

The transition from the standard light bulbs to the LED bulbs is an elaborate process that will ensure that users acquire efficient bulbs and conserve energy while producing brighter light. LED bulbs or Light Emitting Diode bulbs emit light in a very narrow band of wavelength. Therefore the LED bulb is energy efficient when compared to the incandescent light bulb. LED bulbs emit light with a color similar to the natural light from the Sun. According to the design standards, a normal incandescent bulb can last for close to one thousand hours while a standard twelve-watt LED bulb or lamp can last for over twenty-five thousand hours (Brandes & Garceran, 2013). Therefore, LED bulbs are considered effective for use in homes and in different buildings that want to conserve energy and ensure durability in the use. In incandescent light bulb or lamp works by the emission of light that results from heating of the filament. They are usually designed in different sizes, voltages, and wattages. Incandescent bulbs have been in use for close to one hundred years. There are many people who contributed to the development of the incandescent bulbs even before the work was attributed to Thomas Edison.

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In the state of Chicago, Illinois location, a total of two thousand bulbs are in use and currently, standards bulbs are still in use. However, these bulbs have a shorter lifespan and they usually need to be replaced every three months. LED bulbs, however, are more efficient with the longer lifespan. Therefore, the transition from the standard bulbs to the LED bulbs may lead to benefits to the consumers (Cao & Lin, 2014). The adoption of standard LED bulbs may also prove to be beneficial to the power generation companies for they will experience a reduction in energy consumption. The paper, therefore, presents an analysis that shows whether there is a cost benefit to the transition from the incandescent bulbs to the standard LED bulb. The analysis will also entail the analysis if there is an increased efficiency of the LED bulbs to reduce the replacement need frequency.

Table 1: LED versus Incandescent for 60W

Table 1 indicates the comparison of the cost of a 60W bulbs both for the LED and incandescent. The cost analysis shows that LED is cost effective when compared to the incandescent. The LED bulb has a longer lifespan of 25,000 hours compared to the incandescent bulb which only has 1,200 hours. Although the cost of a single LED bulb is eight times higher than that of the incandescent, the lifespan is much higher making it cheaper in the long run. Table one, therefore, shows the clear-cut winner while considering the price over time with the consideration of energy consumption. The LED bulb is energy efficient because it has been clustered produce more light from the diffuser lenses that scatter the light to wider areas. The advancement in the manufacturing process has been able to drive down prices to the level that the LED bulb has become more cost-effective than the incandescent bulbs. The above trend is on the rise, with LED bulbs being designed to be used in various areas while the prices keep reducing over time.

An individual using the 60W incandescent bulb with have incurred a lot of costs and at the same time, they will have changed the bulb numerous times due to the shorter lifespan. While the person using a LED bulb will have used only one bulb in a period of twenty-five thousand hours, a 60 W incandescent bulb user would have used twenty-one. The above scenario, therefore, makes LED bulbs viable for consumption both at the domestic and at the industrial level. The total estimated cost over twenty years for the LED bulb of the same watts is less by $26.

Table 2: LED versus Incandescent for 40W

Table 2 shows the estimated cost of a 40W bulb both for the LED and the Incandescent bulbs. From the analysis, it is clear that a 40W bulb is cost effective compared to the incandescent bulb. An individual using an incandescent bulb with incurring a lot of cost due to high energy consumption as well as the numerous instances of replacement. At the end of 25, 000 hours, individual using the incandescent 40W bulb would have spent $ 231 for one single bulb while the person using a 40 W led bulb would have only spent $ 205. Therefore consumers planning to use efficient bulb should go for the LED type. The LED bulb, therefore, usually attempt to last longer and requires less changeout as it has a lifespan of twenty-five thousand hours compared to the incandescent ones. Consumers should, therefore, change to the Light Emitting Bulbs so as to conserve energy and reduce the changeover that is common with the incandescent bulbs. From table 2, although the cost of electricity consumed by the two bulbs is the same, the accumulating cost for the incandescent bulbs is higher than that of the LED bulb. In other words, the cost incurred the incandescent bulb user is higher by $26. By switching from the standardized bulbs, to LED bulbs, there will be cost savings.

From table 2, a LED bulb is six times more efficient when compared to the incandescent bulb. Switching from the incandescent 40-watt bulb to the 40-watt equivalent LED bulb can save close to 84% of the costs of having the same light bulb on. Manufacturers should, therefore, focus on designing LED bulb to meet the growing consumer demands and also to help in energy conservation.

Table 3: LED versus Incandescent for 100W

Table 3 shows the energy consumption, the average lifespan and the cost of electricity consumed by the 100 W incandescent and the LED bulbs. From the table, 100 W LED bulb has a longer lifespan of twenty-five thousand hours compared to the incandescent bulb which only has 1,200 hours. However, the cost of 100 W LED bulb is eight times higher compared to the incandescent bulbs although they have less changeover. For the 100 W incandescent bulb, the total number of bulbs needed for 25, 000 hours amount to 21. On the other hand, only one 100 W bulb is needed in the entire 25, 000 hours. The total estimated cost over twenty years for the incandescent 100 W bulb is $514 while the same type of LED bulb cost $488. The cost difference is $26. Switching from the incandescent 100-watt bulb to the 100-watt equivalent LED bulb can save close to sixty percent of the costs of having the same light bulb on. Manufacturers should, therefore, focus on designing the LED bulb to meet the growing consumer demands and also to help in energy conservation.

The useful life and costs of LED bulbs are defined differently than those of other sources of light such as incandescent or CFL (compact fluorescent lighting). The LED bulb in most cases, do not fail or burn out. In place, they experience lumen depression whereby the light dims or fade away slowly over a given period of time. Unlike the incandescent bulbs, the lifespan of LED bulbs is based on the prediction of when the light output decreases by thirty percent. The cost for the first batch of the LED bulb in the market was much higher but with time, the prices have decreased due to the increase in the production level (Cao & Lin, 2014). In other words, the prices are going down as production increases. In the actual market, the lifespan of the incandescent bulbs was rated at 1, 500 hours or 1 year four months. On the other hand, the LED bulb is rated twenty-five thousand hours in the actual market translating to 22.8 years. Therefore, LED bulbs are considered effective for use in homes and in different buildings that want to conserve energy and ensure durability in the use. In incandescent light bulb or lamp works by the emission of light that results from heating of the filament.

In Chicago, Illinois location where there are a total of two thousand light bulbs in use, there is high consumption of energy as well as high costs arising from changeovers that need to be done ones every three months. With the standards, light bulbs, the areas are using a high amount of energy, a situation that may force the consumers to incur a lot of costs on electricity bills. With over two thousand light bulbs, the use of LED may prove to be effective (Cao & Lin, 2014). Furthermore, with the LED bulbs, there will be no frequent changeovers which usually increases costs. Therefore, LED bulbs are considered effective for use in homes and in different buildings that want to conserve energy and ensure durability in the use. As a result, it is more cost effective for companies or organizations to engage in the manufacturing of LED bulbs because, besides their durability, their costs or high.

Reference

Brandes, G. R., & Garceran, J. A. (2013). U.S. Patent No. 8,596,821. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Cao, D., & Lin, Z. (2014). U.S. Patent No. 8,653,723. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.