My first domestic LED bulb. Yes, really…
Being a Sustainability junkie, you’d have thought that my house would be heaving with the latest green technology. But last night I bought some LED bulbs from Sainsbury’s and, as I installed them, realised that these were the first in our house.
Why?
Simple. We’ve got CFL bulbs throughout the house and they haven’t needed replacing since decent LED bulbs came to market. I just can’t bring myself to junk old CFLs if they still work, even when they dim. And, as CFLs last 7 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, that’s a long time. Of course, if someone invents a domestic bulb which is even more energy efficient than a LED, these new bulbs last 3 times longer than a CFL, so I may never get to install them!
It’s a big question, upgradeability. If you invest in installing a new technology, you’re pretty much locked into it for the foreseeable future. It’s one of the reasons I use backcasting to develop Sustainability strategies, it helps avoid steps which may deliver short term gains but halt further progress. After all, industry makes much bigger investments than my £5 light bulbs.