Western distributor of energy-efficient bulb from Regina

REGINA – What’s being called the world’s most energy efficient light bulb is garnering a huge amount of attention online.

The inventors of Nanoleaf were hoping for a $20,000 Kickstarter pledge to get their product off the ground, but they ended up raising more than $270,000 on the crowdfunding site.

The only western distributor, John Moran, lives in Regina. His involvement with the product began with a simple request to find bulbs for lamps that have been in the family since the 1970s.

“I have these antique lamps, stain glass lamps, that I wanted to retrofit and make more modern,” said Moran.

He was searching for a bulb that would project light 360 degrees.

“Certain LED lights don’t. They have dark spots in certain places,” he said.

Three University of Toronto graduates debuted their bulb last January. After watching an interview with one of the inventors, Moran and his three children chose to invest.

“The project itself I thought that it would have lasting effects for my children.”

The light bulb produces 1600 lumens of brightness but uses only 12 watts of electricity. Similar bulbs that produce a similar amount of light use 20 watts of power.

“So what these gentlemen have done is they’ve invented a better light bulb with less wasted energy,” said Moran.

Right now, the bulbs cost about $40 each, but they’re built to last more than 27 years.

“I kind of saw that this might be something that down the road will become quite the norm,” said Moran.