It’s long been established that LED bulbs last longer than normal bulbs and it’s also known that they’re more expensive. But why is that? What is it that makes the price so high? Mostly it’s down to materials and manufacturing methods.

LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, aren’t just a single component but a collection of electronic parts. A circuit board is required that, a few years ago, was so complex that it couldn’t be manufactured by machine – it had to be put together by hand. This is gradually changing, but it remains a costly procedure.

The LED wafer – the part that lights up – is also expensive, costing as much as £5 to manufacture and it doesn’t generate light straight from household electricity circuits, it needs a small driver to provide the power. If LED lights go wrong, it’s often the driver that’s faulty and needs replacing.

A little known fact is that LEDs produce blue light. To make it white light requires the bulb to be coated in yellow sulphur. This is typically imported from China at no little cost. They also need a conducting material to dissipate the heat generated. This is often aluminium, itself another costly addition to the process.

Philips Master Value 4.9W
Philips Master Value 4.9W GU10

Recognising the cost problem, manufacturers are introducing alternative methods to bring the price down. For instance, rather than using yellow phosphorous to create white light, they’re mixing green and red diodes which, in combination with the usual blue ones, create white. Also, the heat dissipaters are being reduced in size meaning less aluminium is required.

Companies like Plessey, based in Plymouth, have spent considerable amounts on researching LED bulbs for a variety of uses and in the process made improvements that reduce cost and lengthen lifespans. The company is also expanding technology into others areas such as wearable devices.

Despite these improvements, LED light bulbs are likely to remain more expensive. However, given that they can last many years longer than ordinary bulbs, the difference works out in the end.