Will You Celebrate Earth Day by Forking Over $60 for This Light Bulb?
- Posted on April 17, 2012 at 8:57am by
Liz Klimas
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The technology packed into this $60 (rebated to at $50) LED bulb is said to help is last for up to $20 years. (Photo: Philips/AP)
With Earth Day just around the corner, some Americans are beginning to think about small updates they can make around their home or office to be more efficient. One tip promoted on the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Energy Savers” website is to change out incandescent light bulbs with a more efficient CFL or LED lights.
The bulb getting the most buzz is a $60 LED (light-emmiting diode) bulb by Phillips that will hit consumer shelves this Sunday. Why the hefty price tag? According to the Associated Press, this bulb packs a big punch with its ”state-of-the-art” components, especially the top-notch chips, or diodes, that give off the light.
Right out the door Netherlands-based Philips is discounting it to $50 for consumers, and is working on deals with electric utilities to discount it even further, by as much as $20 to $30. This means the bulb will cost anywhere from $20 to $60, depending on where it’s found. Online, consumers will be paying $50 for each bulb, because utilities don’t subsidize online sales.
Last month, we reported the bulb — touted as the most energy efficient one yet — was the winner of Congress’s $10 million “L Prize” contest launched in 2007. The goal of this project was to help create a bulb to replace the standard, energy-wasting “incandescent” 60-watt bulb. The requirements were rigorous, and Philips was the only entrant. Its bulb was declared the winner last year, after a year and a half of testing.
(Related: Gov‘t backed ’green’ light bulb meant to be affordable costs $50)
Still, the contest stipulated that the winning bulb be sold for $22 in its first year on the market. Here‘s more from our original article on the bulb given the fact that it’s clearly not meeting cost requirements quite yet:
Manufacturers were “strongly encouraged to offer products at prices that prove cost-effective and attractive to buyers, and therefore more successful in the market.” The target retail price, including rebates from utilities, was to be $22 in the first year, $15 in the second year and $8 in the third year, the [Washington] Post reports.
To put it plainly, Phillips comes nowhere near these numbers.
“This bulb is pretty amazing,” says VP of Merchandising Chris Weber, according toMarket Watch. “It is really hard to believe that you can get the equivalent of 940 lumens of warm, ambient light from a bulb that only uses 10 watts.”
“Philips has done it and we can’t wait to get this bulb into the hands of our customers,” he adds.
But we just can’t get around the fact that $10 million was awarded to develop an “affordable” LED and Phillips came up with a $50 bulb.
“You keep using the word ‘affordable,’” Cato‘s Aaron Ross Powell writes, addressing the Obama administration, “I do not think it means what you think it means.”
In that context, the $60 price tag has raised some eyebrows. Ed Crawford, the head of Philips’ U.S. lighting division, said it was always part of the plan to have utility rebates bring the price down to the $22 range.
Utilities already offer rebates on energy-saving products such as compact-fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs. In return for efforts to curb energy use, regulators allow utilities to raise their rates. The discounts are invisible to consumers — the utilities pay the stores directly.
For $25, or even $35, the bulb looks like a good investment compared to an incandescent bulb. It uses only 10 watts of power, meaning saves about $8 per year in electricity if it’s used four hours a day. It’s expected to last at least 30,000 hours, or 30 times longer than an incandescent. At four hours per day, that’s 20 years.
Technical details about Philips's LED bulb. (Image: Washington Post)
But the Philips bulb is not only up against $1 incandescent bulbs. CFL are nearly as energy efficient. They use about 15 watts for 60 watts worth of light. They’re much cheaper too, typically costing around $5. The Philips bulb looks odd too -the light-emitting surfaces are yellow when the bulb isn’t lit, yet shine white when it is.
The Philips bulb has some advantages over a CFL: It lasts three times longer and gives off a more natural-looking light. It doesn’t contain the toxic mercury vapor inside CFLs, which creates a minor hazard when they break.
(Related: Stossel plays spoof of Puff Daddy‘s ’Missing You’ in memory of incandescent light bulb)
Philips has been selling a cheaper, less efficient version of the L Prize bulb since 2010, and Crawford says it’s done well – LEDs now account for about 20 percent of Philips’ U.S. lighting sales, up from nearly zero three years ago.
Crawford credits the L Prize with pushing the company to focus research efforts on LED bulbs. The finished product may be expensive, but the technology the company developed for the prize submission has already been used successfully in its cheaper AmbientLED lights.
Check out Philips’s promo video on its AmbientLED bulbs:
“It’s the question we always receive: `Well gee, wouldn’t the technology have developed this way without the L Prize?’ I think it absolutely would have. The real question is: `How quickly would it have happened?’” Crawford said.
Incandescent bulbs of 40 watts and above will be banned in 2014.
The question still remains: Will you be headed to the store this weekend to purchase the $60 bulb ($50 or less with rebates)? If so, you can find retailers here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments (159)
BlackCrow
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:32amEarth Day I don’t pray to trees! Might go cut a couple down that are in my way.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:42amThat is a GREAT idea……
Report Post »there are a couple of dying locusts that would love to heat my home next winter.
searching for the Truth
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:42amThat’s why Jesus had Israel cut them down after each battle – except for the fruit trees.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:46amThat is why Jesus had Israel cut them down after each battle – except for fruit trees He saved.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 10:03amActually, I’m going to go back to hurricane lamps.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 10:38amI will be heating my pool for earth day………..
Report Post »ForMyKidsVA
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 11:25amI‘ve decided I’ve had enough of my kids’ school teaching them about climate change and obesity instead of the three Rs. So for Earth Day this year I’m sending the superintendent a letter stating that my children will be home schooled from now on.
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 12:20pmI will celebrate “Earth Day” this year the same way I have for many years…with indifference, mockery, scorn and laughter towards it.
Report Post »VShagios
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 1:17pmI don’t worship the earth, so I plan to turn on all my lights, flush the toilet every hour and drive my F-150 around for no reason. After all of that, I might go to the gun range.
Report Post »thewatcher93
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 2:01pm@ VShagios
I don’t worship the earth ether, but turning on all my lights, flushing the toilet every hour, and drving a V8 powered F150 just to anger a bunch of liberals on earth day is A) a dumb idea B) just wasteful, but hey if you like throwing money down that toilet you want to flush every hour, more power to you.
Report Post »thewatcher93
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 2:03pmtest post.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 2:58pmI bought 16 of the new fangled bulbs that cost $12 each but were marked down to $4 for my bathrooms vanity lighting. They have already lasted twice as long as the normal ones because I keep the one bathrooms lights on at all times. It has been (and will be) a great deal.
We always complain about how the US can’t plan out longer than a quarter or a full year, can’t see the obvious cliff coming at us 25 years from now. We praise the Japanese for their planning…looking at things decades down the road.
So why is the initial expenditure for something that will eventually save a lot of money for each household so hated? Other than the government trying to demand we switch…I see no problem with this.
Report Post »ErinLindsey
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 3:36pmI’m mad at our government for mandating that we can no longer use the incandescent light bulbs. In their zeal to make us all go “green”, they didnt take into account people with low vision who cant use the CFL’s and LED bulbs because of the the harsh light they give off.
I have problems with my optic nerve, and with my latest flare of that, I’ve discovered that I cant be in fluorescent light for more than a few minutes before the blinding (literally) pain in my head from my optic nerve, plus the fact that I can barely see out of my right eye at the moment. The light given off by CFL’s washes out what I can see, so that I CANT see. Planning on learning Braille, because once I dont have my incandescent bulbs, I wont be able to see to read a regular book anymore. (as if I can do that now. I can barely see to type this with only one working eye)
Report Post »watchmany2k
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 4:56amWith electric rates going UP, we have little choice but do what we can to save where we can.
lighting is less than 10% of your total bill, the fridge & heating system use way more, but you CAN save on lighting especially if the light is used a LOT.
I sell a GLASS LED bulb that is the equivalent and uses 4.4 watts ! lasts 15 years or more
for 1/3 the price of these !
Shameless website plug:
Report Post »http://www.watchman2012.com ~ All things Energy & Survival -Video & Articles
Leslie Anne
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 11:40amThese bulbs would be convenient for hard-to-reach spots–it would be worth the money to not have to climb a ladder as often, especially as one gets older.
Report Post »inblack
Posted on April 19, 2012 at 12:16amHa what a joke.
We were promised that the CFL bulbs would last 7 years and the only batch I every bought had fall-outs within the 1st 3 months. I don’t think there are ANY of them left after 3 years.
The manufacturer lied and the government lied.
Just like they said 15 years ago that low water flush toilets would work fine. I replaced all of those at my own expense a few years after I bought this house.
Government IS the problem.
Report Post »Susan
Posted on April 19, 2012 at 11:49amAfter watching Phillips video I watched one that brought me the REAL TRUTH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=treyZ9zIXZs&feature=player_embedded#!
The only way to afford a $60 lightbulb is to have a 5′ lamp on wheels with a veeeeery long cord you can take room to room. No way in the world would I buy these for even $20 x all the light fixtures and lamps in my house!
Add to that, they aren’t made in America. So no, they won’t get any of my money!
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:31amI want it free!
Did it occur to these yahoo’s that if you ban the regular bulbs over 40 watts, that it does not guarantee the use of CFLs and to get enough reading light, they will need to turn on more lights, thus saving NOTHING.
I swear Liberals have their brains in their patooty.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:50amI don’t think they even have them there …. most of the people I know have stashes of lightbulbs …. lots of them .. I would rather sit in the dark than pay for their cr*p “bulbs”.. btw .. Kindle Fire is fine to read in the dark ;-)
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 10:37am^^^we have a stash too. yes the mercury in these regular bulbs far outweighs any “savings” they think their may be. All of my lights have dimmer switches which the new bulbs aren’t certified for. They have recked 4 circuits in my home. I really wish they would bring back some sanity and get us going again with the old fashioned bulbs that have worked and given off good light for what 100+ years? These eco bulbs burn out every 2 weeks at my house I am so sick of it. BRING BACK THE SANITY AN MY LIGHT BULBS!!!
Report Post »83plus
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 1:00pm@COFemale I agree, while it may seem like a great idea they forget some of the minor details. One of which that I didn’t think until someone else mentioned it is what about oven lights and refrigerators? There’s applications where one or neither will work, put an LED or CFL in an oven light and it’ll fry (burning plastic and solid sate circuitry smells great to). If it fits, an LED likely would work in a refrigerator, but the CFL wouldn’t like it much.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:30amRemoving colors from the spectrum of visible light contributes to blindness.
Report Post »MammalOne
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 1:39pmAcademic citations please.
Report Post »Seneca264
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:30amI have already stockpiled several cases of incandescent bulbs at my home. I kept buying them at Lowe’s and Walmart when they were on sale some time agao. The government can kiss my rosey red. I have enough incandescents to last me a lifetime.
Report Post »Choctaw25
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:26amThey mandated health insurance, if the SC doesn’t make the right decision, they will just mandate lightbulbs too.
Report Post »Who is going to buy all those lightbulbs for the welfare people??? Oh that’s right, we, the hard working middle class and the wealthy will provide them at no cost to the losers of society.
If it wasn‘t for us the poor wouldn’t have anything and if Barry gets re-elected, nobody will have anything.
kaydeebeau
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:44amthey already are with the ban on Edison type bulbs…..
Obama and his minions must go
Report Post »tzion
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 10:04amThe ban accomplishes nothing except to drive up how much people have to spend on bulbs. Given 5 years this LED technology could become affordable and replace the incandescent by simply being better. It certainly is a vast improvement over the environmentally unfriendly and poor quality light of CFLs but it’s still new so there will likely be vast improvements to come. If you can afford it that’s one thing but the rest of us can wait.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:25amEarth Day”? Isn’t that what the indigenous tribes of all countries worship? “Mama Earth”? “Mother Earth”?
Thank you, no.
“As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” We worship the CREATOR and enjoy HIS creations, not the other way around.
Report Post »spirited
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:24amOh yes!!!
–The cars already packed for the camp-out !!! –Wheeeeeeeeee
Oh, to be first in line when the stores opens is like a dream come true.
–Can’t wait to buy 16 of those “pretty amazing” light bulbs. (scoff)
>And the price? “pretty amazing”………….please
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:20amNope
Report Post »bpodlesnik
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:35amMaybe $25-30 for a pack of 4, but not just one bulb. Don’t get me wrong, I think the new tech is great, and it is seriously bright for only 10 watts but for that price it is just not worth it. Maybe in 5 or 10 years they will have the cost cut, but I don’t see many people paying $50 or even $20 dollars for a single light bulb.
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:18amNo!
Report Post »EP46
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:17amIs this the light bulb that goes out when it reaches a certain temperature so you will not use too much electricity ? Are the new “Smart’ electric meters going to cut off your electricity when you reach a certain level or usage ? Also, with obama’s war on coal….electric prices as he said will skyrocket…so how are electric cars suppose to help ? He promised to bankrupt coal companies. Is his next attack on hydro-electric plants or has it happened and I missed it ?
Report Post »momof5children
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:17ami’ve stocked up on the forbidden ones. i only burn one light at night, so they should last a life time!
Report Post »if i run out, i have oil lamps that i’m more than happy to use :)
MiCurmudgeon
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:16amI personally am tired of being forked by “Green” stuff which doesn’t work, costs more and only promotes those who finance Obama’s attempt to rule the World.
Report Post »old white guy
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:18ami will celebrate by buying and stock piling more of the old bulbs.
Report Post »scuba13
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 11:03amI plan on driving around and use as much oil and oil-based products that I can. Because oil comes from the Earth and is completly natural.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:14amI already have 50% of my house re-lamped with LED’s. I paid $20 or less for each one. This is a perfect example of when the fed touches it, the cost necessarily skyrockets.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:13amI just had an old bulb burn out… so I took the last out of an old 4 pack… and the box said: Price $1.39, We know this was GE’s great plan… why bulbs at $0.15 each… when you can get them banned… make them in China… and sell them for a Great Profit!
Report Post »LouC57
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:12amThe heck with “Earth Day”…I’m turning on every incandescent I can find and let them burn all day. DO NOT presume to force me to buy this garbage. Thank you to Sylvania for still making incandescents. I’m hoarding them now.
P.S. UGLY lamps too.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:11amI’ll go to Wal Mart and buy some more of those old fashioned kind I have stocked up in my basement! The BEST way to help Mother Nature is to PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF, you dirty liberals! I was following a car with OBAMA and other “liberal” stickers all over it and they were throwing their fast food trash OUT THE WINDOW as they finished! UNREAL.
Report Post »solomon
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:19amI am with you. No way am I going to throw away money on anything the government backs.
Report Post »Allieann
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 6:25pmWell. apparently they did not get MOO’s memo to only eat graze on grasses. Shocking, um, not so much. The inconsistencies which we see all day everyday make it obvious which part of the anatomy their ideas are hatched. I know the American lightbulb manufacturers have been driven out of business, it is an indication of what is to come; if this election is stolen, as they plan………. Take some of your family and friends to vote the Conservative ballots. Or better yet, bus them in. Heck, no IDs needed.
Report Post »Dde13
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:11amNo, I have to put gas in my car and food on the table. Where are they made.? China?
Report Post »EP46
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:19amIs this the bulb that the EPA has regulations requiring the proper way to dispose of it…and if you follow those guidelines it takes 8 hours to meet the requirements ?
Report Post »searching for the Truth
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:32amone has to put food in their car and gas at their table – and pay the rest to a doctor.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:33amYes, because it contains MERCURY.. of all things! (banned in thermometers, but hey, GREAT for expensive, EPA disposable light bulbs! Heaven help us!
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:11amNope. I’m going to liter.
Report Post »SheriS
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:10amI threw out out the garbage light bulbs that have been mandated and have stocked up on the regular bulbs because the curly q bulbs put out a quarter of the amount of light and are just plain dangerous as we have learned by the broken bulbs and what it takes to clean up—they are not safe, but are dangerous because of the mercury! Hate them and won‘t use them in spite of Obama’s mandate! Seems like Obama’s mission is nothing more then trying to control everything we buy and use!
Report Post »Jaimo
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:50pmUnfortunately, the light bulb issue goes way back to Bush and the Republican Congress. Why these numbnuts signed that bill is beyond me.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:08amI’m going to save energy on Earth Day by cooking over a blazing Chevy Volt.
Report Post »Harry Assenback
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:22amLOL!!!!!!! Hot coffee exited the nose.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 10:14amLOL .. GONZO ..
c
Report Post »ForMyKidsVA
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 11:42amGonzo,
My family passed one of those blazing Chevy Volts this past weekend. It was on the shoulder of I64 in Williamsburg, VA. We got quite a laugh and it was educational for the kids too! Just a shame what the fire did to the asphalt pavement. But I suppose the upside is that there is now a shovel ready highway job.
Report Post »kentuckypatriot
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:05amNo thanks, I’ll pass. I have enough banned bulbs to last till doomsday! Uh oh, hope I don’t get arrested!!
Report Post »randy
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:05am“and is working on deals with electric utilities to discount it even further, by as much as $20 to $30.”
Report Post »Well, that’s just great. So now my utility rates will increase because of the few idiots that will purchase this bulb.
RightUnite
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:04amHell to the no!
Report Post »piper60
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:04amThey really think we’re stupid enough to fork over that amount for a light bulb? Really???
Report Post »woodyl1011fl
Posted on April 19, 2012 at 8:56amElected democrats everywhere and their mindless voters do!!!
Report Post »sickofthelibs
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 8:58amNo -I’ll celebrate Earth Day by making sure every single light, appliance and any other thing I can think of is turned on and running.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:02amPlan on buy 100 dollars worth of the florescent bulbs they were pushing and smashing them at my local court house.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:03amSame here
Report Post »RightUnite
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:05amA-Friggin-Men!!
Report Post »youdidthis
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:05amsame here
Report Post »Jaimo
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:48pmoooh, I do that every year as well. It really ****** off the neighbors. I certainly wouldn’t want our wonderful country looking like North Korea after dark.
Report Post »