Saturday 11 October 2008

LED thrills

by M in JaM

I feel amazed by the LEDs coming onto the market. This photo shows our latest find: an array of bright LEDs. It uses 1/10 the power of the incandescent bulb next to it, ie, less than 2w compared to 20w.

Depending on solar power, we appreciate energy efficient devices. Until last month, we tolerated that incandescent bulb in our pantry. A little power hog. We rationalised that it didn't matter as it wasn't ever turned on for long. Everywhere else, we made the switch to compact fluoros several years ago. Then a friend gave J an LED torch that surprised him with its brightness. Upon further investigation, he found even more efficient LED replacements for the compact fluoros in our house. We haven't made a complete switch to LEDs as they do cost more in the short term. The little LED array in the pantry has a slight blue-ish cast to the light, but we found LEDs which provide a "warmer" light that we can plug into existing sockets (for compact fluoros) in the living room.

You probably would find it difficult to find a 12v 20w incandescent bulb these days. I may keep this one to use when darning socks.

Our LED source (no affiliation except as a friend):
The LED Shop Australia