UK-based clean tech firm Zeta Controls has developed an aluminium cage fitted with small LEDs that are positioned to diffuse light in the same way as a 60W incandescent bulb while using just 9W of energy.

Anthony McClellan, commercial director at Zeta Controls, introduced that, "The aluminium cage structure allows air to flow through the bulb, cooling it without the need for a heat sink. That means you can create a bulb that is the same shape as standard bulbs. One of the main obstacles to deployment of LED bulbs has been they have tended to be different shapes and tend to diffuse light in a different way - this design gets round that challenge."

The hope is that the design could also overcome the periodic campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic that have challenged legislation to phase out incandescent light bulbs that many people still feel attached to.

One of the other main barriers to adoption of LEDs has been the high up front cost, but McClellan argued that the company's first shipment of bulbs, due next month, will be cheaper than current alternatives and there is the potential to reduce the price further if Zeta proves successful in its search for a manufacturing partner.

"The first bulbs are being made by hand and we will sell them for £19.99, but once we get a licensing deal with a manufacturer we reckon the price will fall to $15 and then at scale you could get the price below $10 a bulb," he said, adding that the heat dissipation of the new design also extends the life of the bulbs allowing the company to offer a 25 year guarantee.