Lovely Lighting
Old lights convert 80% of electricity to heat. New lights convert 80% of electricity too light.
Lighting consumed over 20% of global electricity in 1999. In 2019, we reduced it down to 5%. Regrettably, that percent is starting to hike back up due to a recent rollback on energy efficiency standards initiated in January 2020. A Washington Post analysis finds that “The move, which could raise U.S. energy costs by $14 billion and boost carbon emissions, keeps incandescent bulbs from being phased out.” We must reduce our carbon emissions to decrease the repercussions of climate change. Today, we will explore the history of the light bulb, how LED lighting works, and why we must support it.
More than 150 years ago, inventors began working on a bright idea that has changed how we work, travel, and live. One inventor did not invent the light bulb. It was a synthesis of many. The Department of Energy finds that “Long before Thomas Edison patented and began commercializing his incandescent light bulb, British inventors were demonstrating that light as possible with the arc lamp. In 1835, the first constant electric light was demonstrated. For the next 40 years, scientists around the world worked on the incandescent lamp.” The first light bulb was straightforward, although extremely inefficient. Only 20% of the electricity was converted to shine with the incandescent bulb. The remaining 80% was wasted as heat. The LED technology in 1962 improved these percentages.
As opposed to heating a filament in a gas chamber, the LED light bulb sends electrons within a semiconductor. This method means that there is little to no heat generated in the process. LED light bulbs convert 80% of electricity into light. Consequently, they wear down slower and last up to 50 times longer than an incandescent bulb. That means 50 times less carbon dioxide! If every household in the U.S. switched one incandescent bulb to an LED, it would be equivalent to taking 800,000 cars off the road, planting 400,000,000 trees, or lighting 3,000,000 homes for a year. Now imagine if we made that action globally.
Sadly, notable companies make less money from LEDs than traditional bulbs. The increased lifespan of LED means that consumers don’t substitute their bulbs every year, but every ten years. Due to this, we are attempting to bring back technology almost two centuries old. We are dragging ourselves back to a burdensome carbon past by cutting down on actions that ensure environmental efficiency. Fortunately, you can stop this. Through making active efforts as a consumer to purchase environmentally friendly products, you support those companies, which in turn, produce more.
Now more than ever, we must keep lighting usage to 5% or even lower it. Encourage your friends, family, and community to save green, save money, and save time by supporting LED light bulbs. Imagine if one day, all the light in the world is from LEDs, or a source even more efficient. New technology, creativity, and education will help us get through these tremendous problems. We can change climate change.
