LED-fueled holiday lights go green

As more and more consumers are becoming familiar with the benefits of using LED bulbs, manufacturers are offering an increased selection of energy efficient holiday lights. Not only are they better for the environment, LED bulbs cost far less to operate than traditional holiday lights.

Even though the purchase price of LED holiday lights may be higher in some instances, they last five to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. In addition, the savings they provide on energy bills is substantial.

The average string of lights contains about 300 bulbs, and to power a string of incandescent bulbs for six weeks would cost between $70 and $71. A string of LED bulbs that size, on the other hand, would cost less than a dollar to power.

"That means you save $70 a season if you switch out 300 incandescent lights to LED lights," Joe Molica, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, says to the San Francisco Gate. "It's a pretty dramatic savings, and it reduces your carbon footprint."

Many homes and businesses use far more than one string of lights, so the savings can add up quickly. LED bulbs also have the added advantage of producing far less heat than incandescent light bulbs, so the risk of fire is lower. Let this year be the year you switch to the lights that are cleaner, safer and less expensive to run.

LED-fueled holiday lights go green

As more and more consumers are becoming familiar with the benefits of using LED bulbs, manufacturers are offering an increased selection of energy efficient holiday lights. Not only are they better for the environment, LED bulbs cost far less to operate than traditional holiday lights.

Even though the purchase price of LED holiday lights may be higher in some instances, they last five to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. In addition, the savings they provide on energy bills is substantial.

The average string of lights contains about 300 bulbs, and to power a string of incandescent bulbs for six weeks would cost between $70 and $71. A string of LED bulbs that size, on the other hand, would cost less than a dollar to power.

"That means you save $70 a season if you switch out 300 incandescent lights to LED lights," Joe Molica, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, says to the San Francisco Gate. "It's a pretty dramatic savings, and it reduces your carbon footprint."

Many homes and businesses use far more than one string of lights, so the savings can add up quickly. LED bulbs also have the added advantage of producing far less heat than incandescent light bulbs, so the risk of fire is lower. Let this year be the year you switch to the lights that are cleaner, safer and less expensive to run.

Are you on Santa's naughty or nice list when it comes to energy efficiency? Click here to for Consumer United's holiday savings game.

Home lighting could go wireless

Scientists at Boston University are working on a new, energy-efficient way to deliver your home’s wireless internet access. By transmitting information from a router through power lines straight to household lamps, LED bulbs could transmit connection information using patterns of light that people cannot see.

In the same way that remote controls also use undetectable patterns of light, LiveScience reports that LED bulbs could communicate wireless connection information. One of the challenges, however, is that LED bulbs have not completely replaced incandescent bulbs in many households. Though they last longer and are more energy efficient, the price of one LED bulb is considerably higher than a regular light bulb.

Traditional wireless connections currently use radio waves to communicate, but as more and more people use the internet constantly, the radio frequency, or bandwith, becomes crowded and slow. Communicating with light could provide a speedy alternative.

Researchers are also seeking to apply the principles of communicating with light to other fields. Using LED brake lights, it could be possible for cars to “talk” to each other. If one car hits a serious pothole and registers the jolt, it would send out a signal and the cars behind it would know to be on the lookout. In addition, LED traffic lights could inform drivers of how many seconds they have before a light turns green.

Both the computer and automotive industries are hoping to see products using LED technology on the market in the next few years.

Thomas Little, a computer engineer at Boston University, tells LiveScience that “an aggressive partner could have something out on market within a year."

Click here for the complete article.

--Bridget O'Sullivan