LED vs CFL vs Incandescent Bulbs–Cool Video Exhibit

We’ve all heard about LED bulbs being the next “bright spot” in the sustainability revolution. But just how bright are they? The technology is now firmly established and many businesses are switching their bulbs to LEDs, bypassing CFLs entirely, or if they’ve already made the switch to CFLs from incandescents, thinking about upgrading. (See this Cleantechnica article for how much more efficient an LED is versus a CFL, for instance).

The challenge is the upfront cost. LED lights do cost more than CFLs. CFLs may use slightly more electricity than LEDs, but is that enough to make the jump? Perhaps not by itself, but there are two other major considerations at play. LEDs last far longer than incandescents, and longer even than CFLs, so the replacement cost is less. But perhaps the most important issue is the mercury. CFL bulbs contain mercury vapor, and broken CFLs need to be handled with care and disposed of properly. In some cases, disposing of CFLs becomes a huge community issue, as this example in Minnesota showed. CFLs, due to the mercury content, have also been shown to be damaging to human skin. LEDs contain no mercury.

Carl Goehner of LED provider HudNut, shows me a really neat exhibit his company has built to showcase the benefits of LEDs. Check it out!

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