LED vs Incandescent Bulbs: The Zurich Apartment Bill, 2015

In a Zurich apartment in December 2015, the electricity bill dropped by 72 francs after swapping twelve bulbs-each looking nearly identical in their white sockets. The first set, the incandescent bulbs, glowed with a warm orange and heated the room by literally burning a metal filament, using around 60 watts for a single bulb. The new set, identical in shape, were LEDs, and these lit the rooms just as brightly using only about 8 watts per bulb, no filament burning, no wasted heat. That meant the same amount of light for a fraction of the energy. Over a whole night, the old bulbs turned most electricity into heat, not light-so in summer, you’d sweat and pay more. LEDs stay cool, cost less, and last years longer. If you remember Zurich’s bill: LED means Light, Energy Down.