The rise of the LED

While ’12, ’13 and beyond look a little more promising than the past two to three years; we still need to be mindful on the spend side of things. We are constantly looking for ways to save and we think LED technology may be a helper.

Out with the Old and in with the New

2012 marks the year that Edison’s staple lightbulb gives way to the heir apparent CFL. But wait, what about the LED bulb? The wait comes in the way of a $50 spend for a single bulb. The ROI on a number like that is likely too little for multifamily owners to get real excited.

But wait, with a little leg work you can find LED for sub $10. I spotted the sub $10 bulb about a week ago at the local Home Depot. Now, I am a bit skeptical as the brand was not one I recognized. And, the technology is new on the scene. So new that claims of 50,000 hours of bulb life are hard to believe.

Nevertheless, we are sourcing the bulbs now. Our intent is to pick an apartment community with multiple buildings that are individually metered. We are going to benchmark the electric use in those buildings and then outfit the common area spaces with the LED bulbs. And, then wait 60 to 90 days and compare the bills on a month over month basis. Once we have that data we will do a cost benefit analysis and publish the results.

What are you doing in this first quarter of ’12 to bring some revenue to the bottom line?