Consumer demand for LED lighting rises in 2014

Overall demand for LED chip or also called semiconductor chip is expected to grow from 17 billion in 2012 to 61 billion in 2014, according to NPD Display Search.

LED chip is the integral part of the fabrication of LED bulbs.



Locating the LED chip: The heart of an LED is the semiconductor chip of which one side is attached on the top of an anvil (attached to negative power lead), and the other side connected with a whisker/post (attached to positive power lead). Photo source


More than three-fold in demand growth

Although demand for LED chips for backlight applications in display screens is expected to decline, LED lighting sales are growing, and total shipments of LED chips are on the rise. According to the latest NPD DisplaySearch, worldwide LED lighting chip sales reached $1.1 billion in 2013 and are predicted to reach $3.4 billion in 2017.


Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly LED Lighting and Display Supply/Demand Report


Demand for display back-lights slowing but demand for LED lighting to increase

While consumer demand for LED lighting will continue to increase in the coming years, the demand for LED backlight chips for TVs and other display applications will start to decline after 2014.

Demand from backlights is falling due to a combination of slower growth in LED-backlit LCD TV sales and efficiency increases that have resulted in a reduction in chips used per backlight. LED backlight chip sales reached $2.0 billion in 2013, but are forecast to decrease to $1.4 billion in 2017. By comparison, consumer demand for LED lighting has increased since 2012 and is expected to keep growing through 2017.

Significant growth in consumer lighting is helping to keep the LED market on an upward trajectory, even with ongoing declines in backlight demand.


LED fluorescent tubes

As costs fall for LED fluorescent tubes, they continue to replace traditional fluorescent lighting, especially in certain offices and garages, where lighting is required on a 24-hour basis. DisplaySearch noted that, the LED tube is currently the most popular LED lighting product because, unlike traditional fluorescent lighting, LED tubes do not contain mercury, are 50 percent more energy efficient, and boast a longer lifespan.

Source: NPD Display Search


TheGreenMechanics: Very well. The Mayoy's pledge to install more LED lamps in and around Kota Kinabalu city is indeed timely. The lower power tariff for public lighting should also incentivise more lamps at strategic places.

Price of LED light bulbs in Sabah

LED lighting was once considered luxury, simply because the cost to purchase a single LED light bulb can buy you 50 to 60 pieces of incandescent light bulbs of the equivalent lumen (loosely translated as brightness of the bulb).

They are still 'luxury' bulbs today, but prices are dropping fast as more manufacturers are producing better and improved versions. Cree, Philips, Osram, Panasonic, GE, and many lesser known brands are starting to flood the market, which is actually good for the consumers.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) are the energy saving lamps that did very well in replacing the energy-hungry incandescent lamps as well as the 36W/18W fluorescent lamps in the homes of many.


Philips 24W CFL (equavalent to 125W) was selling for RM21 last year.


The price of CFLs has dropped to almost 50% in the last 2 years. Re-sellers are now offering 25W bulbs (equivalent to 150W) at as low as RM12.50 and other outlets are offering RM20.90 for a pair of 23W CFL. Quite a good deal as it cost you only RM10.45/pc.



Panasonic's 19W CFL (equivalent to 100W) is now available at RM9.50



I bought quite a number of these recently.


Of course there is downside to using CFLs: there is a small amount of mercury in each bulb you purchase. Disposal of spent bulbs would be an issue, not to mention the accidental breakage that would definitely expose you to the dangerous mercury fume.


LED bulbs - safer, more environmentally friendly
With LED bulbs this is a non-issue. No toxic gas, no heat and they last much, much longer than CFLs and incandescent lamps. 

So, how much is an LED light bulb? Well prices vary but one thing is for sure - they are dropping and many average guys would be able to afford them now.

For a start, towards the end of last year, Cree introduced a 75W equivalent LED bulb for US$24.00 (around RM77.00) which is pretty steep.


LED lamps compared with the soon-to-be-banned incandescent lamps:
Saving per year per lamp = 23 kWh (quoting Panasonic)
Saving with 10 similar lamps = 230 kWh,
or RM42.55 / year         - assuming you use not more than 200kWh of electricity monthly.
or RM75.90 / year  - assuming you consume more energy, hence the higher tariff bracket (RM0.33/kWh)



Earlier on, LED bulbs don't seem to be that affordable. This MiNT LED bulb is an example.

7.8W LED bulbs: RM49.90/ pc (Parkson Kota Kinabalu) - as at August 2013



During PC fair at 1Borneo in Novermer 2013, ACI Technology was selling this Panasonic LED bulbs at:
LED 8W (equivalent to 60W incandescent)  = RM35.90/ pc
LED 10E (equivalent to 75W incandescent) = RM40.90

Slightly lower than the one at Parkson.


Recently, I checked and found that they are sold cheaper albeit a lower wattage and lumens.
OSRAM LED 5W bulb = RM29.90/ pc


TheGreenMechanics: Fancy this - Panasonic claimed that their LED bulbs can last up to 40 years before they need to be replaced. What? Are you kidding me? I'd be happy if mine can last 10 years.

Do you think you can find lower priced LED bulbs near you? Please share with us in the comment section.

LED smartbulb helps regulate circadian rhythm

LED lighting is not just about energy saving, or as greener alternative to incandescent light bulb. There is more to it - LED bulbs can be tailored into smart bulbs that 'nourishes' your circadian rhythm.

If you have trouble falling asleep or wake up groggy, you can now purchase a light-emitting diode (LED) smartbulb that reportedly can be programmed to tweak your circadian rhythms throughout the day.

The Smart Bulb Halcyon system. Photo - Halcyon

First, what's circadian rhythm

A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24 hour cycle in the physiological processes of living beings, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. In a strict sense, circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, although they can be modulated by external cues such as sunlight and temperature.

Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings.


How can LED smartbulb help

Circadian disruptions, and the anxiety, insomnia and fatigue that they can cause, can decidedly be linked to the modern era, with people working late into the evenings in offices dominated by artificial light or looking at computer screens before bedtime, which research has found can leave people in an almost permanent state of jet lag.

British LED lighting company PhotonStar Technology Ltd. has announced its new consumer Smart Bulb system Halcyon, to be available to the general market in early 2014 but with a small pre-production run to go to Kickstarter backers. Early adopters can purchase three lightbulbs for £94 (about US$150), with delivery expected in April.

That's approximately RM496 at the current exchange rate.

An obvious contender against the Philips Hue sold in Apple stores and the upcoming LIFX Wi-Fi enabled, multi-color LED light bulb, the new Halcyon system is focused more on a multi-user solution for the whole home and family than its rivals, the company says.

The company claims that Halcyon is also the first smart lighting system to provide automatic circadian lighting, similar to the system commissioned by NASA to improve health and well-being by simulating changes in natural light, and preventing jet lag type effects.


How do you use it

To use, set your system to help you wake up in the morning with bright alertness-boosting light. "Design and select a scene to cook, whilst your partner takes a relaxing bath," the website says. "As your guests arrive, change the mood to something more relaxing."

"Any light that you turn on will be at the correct color and spectrum for the time of day, mimicking daylight, nourishing your circadian rhythm," the company says.



Source: TheBorneoPost's Nature & Health section, November 30, 2013, pp.21