Eco development could host trial of low-cost LED light bulb

Oxfordshire company Zeta Controls has developed a new kind of energy-efficient light bulb comprising 90 LEDs that the company claims uses 10W to produce the same amount of light as a 60W incandescent bulb and could last up to 20 years.

The bulbs, which use a plastic structure to hold the LEDs in place and do not contain the mercury found in traditional energy-saving lights, are being considered for use in Bicester Eco Development led by housing provider A2Dominion.

Anthony McClellan, Zeta’s commercial director, told The Engineer: ‘We’ve strategically placed the 90 LEDs around the outside of the structure to mimic the light spread that you get from a 60W bulb.

‘On the technical side, the power challenges were getting a high power factor from such a low wattage and making it fully dimmable.’

LED light bulbs have traditionally required a large aluminium heatsink to keep the bulb cool, but that adds both weight and cost. The heatsink is also thought to reduce the effectiveness of the light dissipation.