Until now the only practical alternative to inefficient incandescent lightbulbs has been CFL Bulbs which are four times more efficient and last about ten times as long as standard bulbs. However rapid developement of 240V LED Spotlight technology has finally led to a 240V LED bulb which can be used directly in standard light fittings.

The Pharox LED Lamp (pictured above) has been developed by Lemnis Lighting and can be used for general illumination rather than as a focussed spotlight. The first bulb in what will soon be a range is a 3.4 Watt model which can be used as a direct replacement for a standard 40 Watt incandescent lightbulb (or a 10 Watt CFL bulb) providing a warm low-level natural light with a standard Edison screw fitting. The lifetime of this bulb is more than 50,000 hours - equivalent to 35 years if used for 4 hours per day.

Pharox and the Environment

Compared to existing  technology the Pharox is also more environmentally friendly since it does not use phosphor. Containing just eight electronic chips its manufacture will be responsible for less toxic chemical and heavy metal emissions into the atmosphere than the manufacturing process of an equivalent CFL bulb - bulbs which also contain toxic mercury.

Using less than one-tenth the electricity of an incandescent the financial savings possible and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions are dramatic - particularly because more than 10% of domestic electricity usage at present is for lighting and double that in commercial settings.

LED Bulb Costs

The Pharox is currently priced in Holland at €23. While the initial cost of the bulb is far in excess of that of incandescent and CFL lightbulbs, over the full life cycle they will provide great savings both in electricity used and replacement costs. As technology moves on and similar LED bulbs start to be mass produced prices should fall enormously.

LED Lamp Usability