Dec 21 2009

Let There Be Light

Posted by: Jonathan Marshall

In a fitting sign of the times, the town of Santa Claus, Ind. this year switched to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to light up its holiday tree. That's something many Northern California cities--and PG&E--have been doing now for several years.

And no wonder. LEDs consume as little as one-tenth as much power as incandescent bulbs for the same output--saving money and sparing the environment. A new study shows that even counting the energy used to manufacture and dispose of LEDs, they are far more efficient than traditional bulbs.

LEDs also last 20 times longer than incandescents and several times longer than compact fluorescents--and offer a much more pleasing color than CFLs. Said one expert for Consumer Reports, "They run cooler, so there's less of a chance of a fire hazard. They're much more durable and they did last longer."

Researchers predict that the world market for LEDs will triple by 2012. PG&E is doing its bit to expand the market forward by offering incentives for deployment of LEDs in municipal street light fixtures and commercial refrigerated case lighting. PG&E also provides advice on the best LED products to buy to ensure maximum energy savings.

This fall, PG&E installed 262 LED streetlights in Danville and 126 in Walnut Creek on main thoroughfares. The program was supported by federal stimulus funds to promote energy efficiency.

Based on data from a study of LED street lights in San Francisco, an analysis by PG&E concluded that if all the nation's high-pressure sodium street lights were replaced by high-performance LEDs, the energy savings would avoid 5.7 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

Still, not everyone's sold. LEDs still cost a lot more than traditional bulbs, of course. And for some die-hards, Christmas just isn't Christmas without the crunch of breaking glass bulbs.

"When you're finding shards of purple glass in the summer when you mow the grass, you can remember the fun you had at Christmas," said Gary Barksdale of Norman, Okla. "There's a certain nostalgia to having those big glass bulbs that we put up as a kid."

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