Embedded in a recent routine news release by LED manufacturer Lemnis Lighting was this little gem worth sharing: “A recent U.S. Department of Energy forecast predicts that LEDs will represent 76 percent of the general illumination market by 2030, but Lemnis predicts 80 market penetration by 2020 due to significant price drops…and further innovations in LED technology.”
First of all, raise your hand if this is the first time you’ve heard the phrase “general illumination market.” That’s what we thought.
Just as we’re all getting comfortable swapping our incandescent bulbs for CFLs, we’re told that LEDs are the future and to get on board. So which is it going to be?
It’s hard to dispute an authority like the DOE, although making predictions as far out as 2030 seems to be ignoring the possibility (likelihood, really) that an even newer technology will supplant both CFLs and LEDs and become the forerunner. Heck, we may even see more than one new technology take its turn at the top by 2020.
There’s no denying that one sees more LEDs on the shelves these days, and at decreasing prices. The press release cited above is, as explained, from Lemnis Lighting, who was announcing three new lines of its Pharox LED replacement bulbs. The lowest priced bulb of the bunch — a 200 lumen LED — retails for about $4.95.
It seems like a lot to spend on a bulb, but remember these things last much, much longer than the $.25 incandescent bulbs that are going bye-bye.
Have you switched out the bulbs in your home? Have you incorporated LEDs into your life?
Credit: Lemnis Lighting
