If lights can be energy hogs, then the 1,000 new bulbs at Benson Stone Co. and those shining along taxiways at Chicago Rockford International Airport are green piglets.
Fixtures at both places hold light emitting diode bulbs, commonly known as LEDs. They are, in fact, miserly light-emitting computer chips that that burn cool, using a fraction of the juice needed by incandescent or halogen bulbs. They can last a dozen years, so the labor savings alone can be substantial for companies that no longer have to change bulbs once or twice a year.
And LED installations have a relatively short payback, meaning money once spent on power becomes profit after a couple of years.
But so far the benefits of LEDs are outweighed by cost. Converting to LEDs requires an expensive outlay. Utility rebates and government projects with sustainability goals havent created enough demand yet to push LEDs to a palatable price point in the market.
Not many people are going to walk into Home Depot and spend $40 on a bulb, said Paul Tarricone, editor of LD+A, a publication of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Tarricone said commercial demand appears to be rising and home use is likely to follow.
LEDs may have another ally in Washington. The government plans to ban incandescent bulbs. It moved the ban date back to September 2012 this week, but weaning America from the bulbs Thomas Edison invented a century ago will stimulate more interest in LED bulbs, although compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs are likely to be the big winner, said Jim Chilsen, a spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board.
In the past decade, CFLs cost has fallen as budget-strapped companies and consumers looked to save money and join the emerging green movement, he said. But while CFLs are good replacements, there are better sources of illumination on the market, he added.
Weve seen CFL as a bridge technology, Chilsen said. The feeling is that LED is better technology.
Andrew Benson, president of Benson Stone, 1100 11th St., became a LED believer after running the numbers for his multifloor home improvement supply store.
We replaced over 1,000 halogen bulbs, using a total of over 75,000 watts of energy, with LED bulbs which will use approximately 17,000 watts, Benson said. This is a 77 precent reduction in energy usage.
Benson said a $10-a-bulb rebate from Commonwealth Edison sweetened the deal.
We expect to have our investment fully paid for in less than 18 months, he said.
That doesnt include the savings Benson Stone gets by lower summer cooling costs. Unlike halogen lights, LED lights emit little heat, so air conditioners work more efficiently.
Heat is also an issue at Chicago Rockford International Airport, but for a different reason. LED lighting has been standard on taxiway construction projects since 2008 LEDs arent approved for runways but in northern climes LEDs exposed to the elements need a device called an Arctic kit. The Arctic kit uses electricity to generate heat around fixtures, preventing buildups of snow and ice from blocking light.
Matt Zinke, operations and facilities supervisor at the airport, said even with the kits the energy savings are significant. More significant, however, are labor savings.
Incandescent bulbs need to be changed about twice a year, taking about 15 minutes a fixture. That equates to 400 employee hours a year.
The main thing about LEDs is the longevity, Zinke said. The incandescent bulbs we were using have a about a 2,000-hour life. The LEDS are rated for 100,000 hours.
In general speaking,
12V LED has become more and more affordable, therefore
auto LED bulbs have been used widely.
