Image courtesy of Vu1

Not long ago I wrote about the death of the incandescent bulb in the imminent future.  In that blog I also wrote about the alternatives to incandescents; CFLs and LEDs.  Soon after writing about those two bulbs I can across another bulb that will start to be available sometime early this year, the ESL bulb.  ESL stands for Electron Stimulated Luminescence.  Up to now, I thought that LEDs were the cats meow.  Granted, LEDs still needed some improvements, but those improvements were coming.  I just purchased some LEDs that have wonderful light quality; warm and bright.

The ESL bulb is made by the Vu1 Corporation, and could be even better.  This new bulb is mercury-free, like LEDs; highly efficient, like LEDs and CFLs; fully dimmable, like incandescents (I’ve yet to find a CFL or LED bulb that thrilled me with its dimming capabilities); full spectrum and environmentally friendly, according to Vu1′s website.  This bulb is also an instant on bulb without the warm up time associated with CFLs.  Vu1 manufactures bulbs in the Czech Republic.  The company plans to make the bulbs available for sale early in 2011.  Another benefit to the ESL bulb is the price.  The r30 costs $19.95, and has a 10,000 hour life.  The downside is that right now you would have to order 8 bulbs.  The company plans to offer different styles in the near future.  Sometime soon we should be able to replace the bulbs in our homes and work places, and save energy, without giving up the qualities that we love in incandescents.  Here’s to innovation and the green movement!