Carbon Free

Green Products Reviews

Vu1 has now updated the ETA for the next shipment to January 1, 2012. 

Currently, 36 countries, including the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Australia, and Brazil have passed laws banning the common incandescent light bulb. A ban in all EU countries began in 2009 and the ban goes into effect in the US in 2012, with all incandescent bulbs phased out by 2016. During that four year window, the residential “repair and replacement” market of 4 billion sockets will need to be filled with energy efficient lighting products.

Because of this ban, consumers and business need an affordable high quality replacement for the banned incandescent bulb. And, according to distributors, the current energy efficient lighting solutions fall short of what they want – a nontoxic, affordable, heat tolerant and fully dimmable light bulb that has incandescent light quality.

Today, 20% of the world’s electricity is used for lighting and the source of this light is changing. From 2010 to 2015, the global energy efficient lighting market is projected to increase from $13.5 billion to $32.2 billion, a compound annual growth rate of 19% (EL Insights).

While compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are currently the primary alternative to incandescent light bulbs, a company from Seattle predicts that its own novel light bulbs will eventually replace CFLs and LEDs.

Vu1 ("view one") Corporation has been working on its electron stimulated luminescence (ESL) bulbs, and has recently released a demo video (below). With ESLs, Vu1 hopes to overcome some of the challenges faced by CFLs and LEDs, the two lighting technologies considered to have the most potential in the post-incandescent era. As the company explains, CFLs' biggest problem is that they contain about 5 milligrams of mercury. If not recycled properly - or if they're accidentally broken - CFLs release mercury into the air or groundwater. In addition, some people find the CFLs' cooler colors less pleasing than the warmer tones of incandescent bulbs.

On the other hand, LEDs don't contain hazardous materials like mercury, and can last for up to 50,000 hours. However, their heat dissipation requirements make them more expensive than other bulbs, with a projected retail price of about $30 each.

In contrast, ESLs don't contain hazardous substances and should cost about $20, or the equivalent of a dimmable CFL reflector bulb, according to Vu1. Similar to CFLs, ESLs use 65% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last for up to 6,000 hours, or about four times the lifespan of incandescent. Other advantages of ESLs include a warm color temperature similar to incandescent light, as well as the ability to be turned on instantly and be fully dimmable.

Now, Seattle-based Vu1 Corporation, which develops and makes energy-efficient lighting, has announced that its R30 ESL reflector light bulbs have received final approval for UL (Underwriters Laboratories) listing. The company says the ESL, which can replace the 65-watt incandescent flood bulb and last 10,000 hours, is mercury-free and dimmable (unlike many CFLs) and offers better-quality light at a lower cost than LEDs. The ESL will initially retail for $20, and company chief Philip Styles says he expects the first orders by the end of this year.

To recap, R30 ESL reflector light bulbs will ofer a longer lifespan and almost the same qualities we are used to cherish at the incandescent bulbs: full dimable, same temperature colour spectrum, instant liten capability. In addition the power consumption will not exceed 20W with a retail value (as now) of $1.00/1Watt. They will deefinitive be a better performer comparing that to the CFL bulbs and they will have an important market share toghether with more soffisticated LED bulbs.