Breaking news: In 2008, for the first time, the efficiency of LEDs has overtaken that of fluorescent tubes.

"This year, for the first time, the efficiency of LEDs has overtaken that of fluorescent tubes. Power LEDs are thus now a realistic and energy-saving alternative to other forms of lighting." Quote of Dr. Thomas Sherer, published in the prestigious Elektor Electronics magazine (http://www.elektor.com), December 2008 issue, page 90.

Advantages of LED lighting as described in the Elektor:

"A light bulb with the standard colour temperature of 2700 K has a maximum efficiency of 15 lm/W, or 3 %.It has a life of 1000 h. A halogen lamp has four times the life expectancy, and gives out somewhat more light: a typical efficiency is 25 lm/W, or 5 %.
Fluorescent lamps can reach efficiencies of over 20 % (up to 100 lm/W) and have life expectancies of over 10000 h. Modern energy-efficient bulbs, because of their small size, only manage around 60 lm/W, and unfortunately only reach their normal brightness after a delay: at low temperatures normal brightness is never reached. They are not suitable for frequent switching.
A modern white [1] high-power LED has the following features.
• Light output efficiency of over 100 lm/W (over 150 lm/W has been
achieved).
• Life of over 50000 h.
• Rapid and problem-free switching on and off.
• Small physical size opening up new opportunities for lamp design.

The advantages of power LEDs are so clear that it is surprising that they are not more widely available. The devices currently available that contain a large number of 5 mm LEDs are of little use. The main obstacles to adoption of LED lights are their high price and their cooling requirements."

Elektor Electronics is a British magazine that aims to inspire people to master electronics at any level by presenting construction projects and spotting developments in electronics and information technology. Every issue is packed with innovative articles, simple and complex construction projects, news, reviews, columns, and more.