LEDs are 90% more efficient than modern incandescent bulbs. Their rapid uptake has resulted in measurable cuts in energy demand and emissions. But their plummeting cost over the last ten years is also causing a “rebound effect” where people are using more and more LEDs, not least for outdoor lighting. Lucas Davis at the Haas School of Business believes we must embrace it, even if it’s counter to maximising energy savings. More and brighter … [Read more...]
The light bulb transition: when standards and subsidies promote sub-optimal technologies
This article is for those who want to understand the importance of timing: when is the right time to impose new standards and start/stop subsidies, to optimise the pathway to maximum efficiency? The light bulb transition of the last two decades is one of the successes of energy efficiency: from the old incandescents (15 lumens/watt) to halogen incandescents and CFLs, and then, finally, to LEDs (80 lumens/watt and prices falling 90% in ten years). … [Read more...]
