The number one reason why I am interested in inventions is due to their problem solving nature. While many inventions are ridiculous, some are simply brilliant. One of the most recent inventions that have grabbed my attention is NanoLight: The world’s most energy efficient light bulb – most probably THE solution to your small business’ electricity cost cutting regime.
Of course, there are some tech advances on light bulbs, such as Philips Hue and its crowdfunding-backed competitor, Lifx. They produce smart light bulbs that are programmable via WiFi.
However, for many small businesses, the most important thing is the bottom line. Unlike the other revolutionary light bulbs, NanoLight answers the most basic concern of small business owners: It helps reducing electricity expenses significantly by simply being energy efficient.
How significant? Try this: Using only 12 watts of electricity, you can get brightness equivalent to 100W incandescent light bulb. It consumes 50 percent less electricity than the already-energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb.
Check out the Kickstarter campaign video:
Worth the investment?
If your small business premise requires plenty of lighting, such as retail shops, NanoLight is a worthy investment with strong ROI.
Based on 30,000 hours of usage and an electricity rate of $0.14/kWhr, your electricity cost would be approximately $50 with NanoLight vs. $100 with typical compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) vs. $400 with standard incandescent light bulbs (source: NanoLight’s Kickstarter project page)
With a service life of 25-30 years (based on 3 hours/day usage) and an investment of $30/light bulb (Kickstarter pledged amount for a 75W equivalent light bulb,) a $90 investment for a small office space offers pretty cool electricity cost saving opportunities.
It’s quite an expensive light bulb, and I expect the production costs would go much lower once it’s mass-produced. A CFL costs you anywhere between $4 to $15, depending on the style of the bulb – even a $30 NanoLight bulb would be a worthy investment (a LED bulb usually costs the same as NanoLight bulb.)
A CFL has a typical service life of 6,000-15,000 hours (source), whereas a NanoLight bulb has a service life of 25,000-30,000 hours. With 50% savings vs. a CFL throughout its lifetime, a NanoLight bulb is a clear winner when it comes to electricity expense reduction.
For your interest, here’s a good cost analysis of LED vs. CFL vs. Incandescent.
Choose LED – now
It’s time to switch to LED-based lighting. The US Government supports this and I see no reason why people from all over the world don’t want to switch to LED.
If you are looking for innovative LED light bulbs manufacturers, here’s a list I create to help you in your search (you may add your recommendations to the list, if you want):
With regard to NanoLight, the Kickstarter campaign is still running. The deadline is March 8, 2013, and it’s currently raised more than 10 times of the funding target – over $200,000 (funding target $20,000.) It’s clearly getting attention by both businesses and individuals.
Visit NanoLight’s Kickstarter page »
Takeaway
The unique design, cost cutting property and reduced CO2 emission makes NanoLight a strong contender for small business premises’ lighting needs.
Although potentially reducing your overall electricity costs (in the thousands of dollars annually!), be sure you understand that lighting usage policy in your business premise is all that matters when it comes to expenses reduction.
Turning off lighting when not in use, using natural lighting as much as you can and so on are the real cost-saving solution for your business. Combine those with the right light bulbs can only do good for your business.
So, what do you think? Will NanoLight helps your small biz to cut electricity costs, as well as to become friendlier to the environment? Please share your opinion by leaving a comment on this post.
