Those missing the familiar warm glow of a traditional bulb may be pleased to hear that the incandescent bulb could be making a comeback as even the most eco-warrior among us continues to remark on the time delay and dull green hue when first switching on our environmentally friendly LED bulbs.
Described as “exciting ” by the professor leading the project being worked upon by scientists at the world class university in Cambridge, Massachusetts the new technique ‘recycling light’ works by redirecting air back to the filament to conserve some of the energy. By surrounding the filament with a special crystal structure in the glass the light then bounces back to keep the heat rather than lose it (at is previous rate of 95%) whilst still allowing the light through easily. It is estimated that efficiency rates could be brought up to 40% as opposed to just 14% provided by today’s LEDs.
Incandescent bulbs have been being phased out by governments over the past ten years and calculations from the EST (Energy Saving Trust) have shown a savings of over £6 per average household living room over a year using an energy efficient LED.
If successful though the revamped incandescent lightbulbs 2.0 will beat even that – estimated to cost less than 50p per year! Watch out LEDs?
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