A federal energy bill approved in December will require a 70 percent increase in lighting efficiency by 2020, spelling trouble for the inefficient incandescent lightbulb.
The year 2020 is several lightbulb changes away, but Roger Deane is not waiting to tap into the latest in green technology for lighting his Scottsdale home.
An admitted electronics enthusiast, Deane has converted all his interior and exterior lighting to light-emitting diodes, or LED lighting.
"I hate to say it, but it's as plain as day" that LED lighting is the way to go, Deane said from his home southeast of Lone Mountain and Scottsdale roads.
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are the rage for reducing energy use with more-efficient lighting.
But LED lighting is touted as more efficient and is a greener option than compact fluorescent bulbs, which have trace amounts of mercury.
Durham, N.C.-based Cree Inc., an LED manufacturer, said its products use 50 percent less energy than compact fluorescent bulbs and 85 percent less than incandescent bulbs.
LED lighting costs and availability are among the hurdles in the consumer market.
A single LED light bulb can cost as much as $100 and they are not readily available in big-box hardware stores, except for things like flashlights and night lights.
Deane spent about $4,000 converting to all LED lights in his home, but that includes specialty lighting far beyond what is found in most homes.
"As more of this type of lighting gets accepted, the price will come down," Deane said.
Cree has developed a recessed LED-lighting fixture that sells for about $130 and can last up to 25 years.
That LED fixture is a popular alternative to compact fluorescent lights in California, which requires high-efficiency lighting in new homes, said Gary Trott, Cree vice president of market development.
Currently, LED lights account for less than 1 percent of the ambient-lighting market but within the next three years, light-emitting diodes will reach the mass market, Trott said.
"The world of lighting will be completely different five years from now," he added.
Until then, Deane estimates that LED lights could pay for themselves within five to seven years by lowering energy use.
He figures that he shaved $20 off his monthly electric bill by changing to LED lights outdoors and an unknown amount from his interior LED lights.
However, Deane said his homeowners association objected to the color of his original outdoor LED lights until he switched to a warmer, white color for the lights.
Deane, 57, started in electronics repairing televisions in 1964, but switched to a mail-order computer-supply business in 1987.
He and his wife, Kim, now operate Wired Communications, an Internet-based business that sells cables and parts for computers, home theaters and ham radios.
Deane, whose license plate on his hybrid Toyota reads LEDMAN, is adding LED lights to his electronic catalogue.
That includes flashlights, headlamps and strips of LED lights in an array of colors.
His home highlights the many applications of LED lights.
Deane has LED light strips under his countertops, recessed LED lighting in his kitchen, LED spotlights over his barbecue and an LED spa light.
He also installed small LED lights in drawers and cabinets to make it easier to find items. And a granite bathroom countertop has red and green LED lights shining through embedded quartz.
Deane admits that the LED lighting is not cheap, but he insists that his LED fixtures will pay for themselves in the long run.
