"LED light bulb 'lasts more than 20 years'"

Lightbulbs of the near future could last two decades. 

LED light bulbs which are said to last more than two decades, while using very little energy, are expected to go on sale later this year.

Three companies are expected to sell this type of bulb, which will not be cheap to purchase.

The three bulbs are meant to last more than 20 years, as long as they are only used for around three hours a day.

It will use light-emitting diodes (LED) to produce as much light as a 100-watt incandescent alternative.

General Electric, Phillips and Sylvania exhibited this type of bulb and their other products at the recent Light Fair industry conference in Las Vegas.

Both Philips and Sylvania told the BBC that their products are due to appear in stores later this year, while GE plans to sell its bulb early next year. The firm currently sells a 9-watt LED bulb that is made to replace a 40-watt incandescent, for about $50 (£31).

"LEDs promise to be the way forward for the whole sector," James Russill, the UK’s Energy Saving Trust's technical development manager told the BBC.

"There are so many benefits: they can be smaller, brighter; it is one of those rare technologies where the trial has shown it performs better than the lighting systems it is replacing but, at the same time, uses less energy.

"LEDs are the most efficient light source currently available, and are increasingly used in domestic, commercial and automotive applications. They can last tens of thousands of hours compared to 1,000 hours for typical incandescent lamps.”