I've been posting for months that LED light bulbs @ $40 apiece pay for themselves after just a few years, in the end are far cheaper than incandescent bulbs and from day one are better than compact fluorescents (CFLs). But I always mention that as mass production ramps up, the cost of these LED light bulbs will begin to drop. I honestly didn't think it would drop that much this fast.
Refer to:
Sexiest LED lightbulb ever is first true alternative to incandescents
by Christopher Mims
19 May 2011 2:52 PM The true successors to incandescent lightbulbs aren't CFLs, but LEDs, which are a totally different technology that, to date, has been a tad too expensive for most consumer. (Think $40 to $50 a bulb.)
Switch LED aims to change that, with a bulb technology that's different in a handful of key ways. First, the bulbs are liquid-cooled -- hence their vaguely glass-paperweightish appearance. Second, their tiny LED bulbs are arrayed around the outside of the larger bulb, to create more diffuse light. And they're cheap: at $20 a bulb and only 15 percent the energy draw of a traditional bulb, they can pay for themselves in just a year.
http://www.grist.org/list/2011-05-19-sexiest-led-lightbulb-ever-is-first-true-alternative-to-traditio Switch Intros Affordable LED Light Bulbs
By Preston on Apr. 20, 2011The 75W equivalent has 1150 lumens, 16 watts, 2750 Kelvins, 85 CRI, and a 20,000 hour average life. It’s dimmable and free of hazardous materials. In fact, all lamp components are reusable or recyclable, allowing for some kind of non-landfill application at the end of life.
Similarly, the 60W equivalent has 830 lumens, 13 watts, 2750 Kelvins, 85 CRI, and a 20,000 hour average life.
All of these bulbs offer instant-on functionality with the popular A19 shape, but the price is really where it’s at. I’ve been told the price of the 60W version may come in at $20, or half the price of the competition, with the 75W bulb at or near that price as well.
Switch Lighting expects to offer these LED bulbs for sale at the usual retailers starting this fall. And the company will showcase the new technology at Lightfair, which is in Philadelphia from May 17-19, 2011, if you’re in the area.
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2011/04/switch-lighting-cheap-led-equivalent-bulbs.html Also see:
Top 10 Reasons You Need to Switch to LED Light Bulbs -
http://www.ecodirect.com/LED-Light-Bulbs-s/146.htm# LEDs are ideal for use with occupancy sensors, since they are unaffected by frequent on-off cycling, unlike fluorescent lamps that burn out more quickly when cycled frequently.
# LEDs are built inside solid cases that protect them, unlike incandescent and discharge sources, making them extremely durable.
# LEDs have an extremely long life span when conservatively run: upwards of 100 000 hours, twice as long as the best fluorescent bulbs and twenty times longer than the best incandescent bulbs. (Incandescent bulbs can also be made to last an extremely long time by running at lower than normal voltage, but only at a huge cost in efficiency; LEDs have a long life when operated at their rated power.) LEDs ran at higher currents have a reduced life span. Further, LEDs mostly fail by dimming over time, rather than the abrupt burn-out of incandescent bulbs.
# LEDs light up very quickly.
...from
http://www.led-works.com/resources/led_basic_information.html PS, for comparison: a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb puts out 800 Lumens.