Exactly why we have lithium cells!- seldom used, well constructed cells, and 10 yr. shelf life (they still have 90% after 10 years!)
I did a comparison in lithium (L91BP - the new E2 lithium is the same cell) - versus alkaline in pagers - it costs less to use lithiums because while they cost slightly more, they last a substantially longer time - thus an overall cost savings. Not to mention labor cost in changing cells all the time.
I also run E2 (L91BP) lithium in my photoflash - they have a high current capability and recharge the speedlight faster - which makes for more rapid photogrpahy. I use a digital camera with a frame buffer, so I can shoot while the camera stores prior images, making battery selection the limiting factor in speed (not the storage speed of the memory card)
The L91 (E2 lithium) has a Voc of 1.73V versus 1.56V for alkaline (new, current issue cells) - This extra makes the infinity LED light have a bit of a boost, which is another good use for lithiums.