Philips has unveiled a super-energy saving light bulb that it said would have over a 20-year life span. The LED bulb was unveiled by the Dutch company to coincide with Sunday’s International Earth Day.
The Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize given by the U.S. Department of Energy was awarded to the new LED bulb. It is available for $50 per bulb, down from an original price of $60. Philips said they were going to offer additional discounts that would lower the cost of each bulb to just $25.
The 10-watt light emitting diode bulb was named an efficient alternative to an incandescent 60-watt bulb and given a rating of 30,000 hours of use, when used an average of four hours daily. According to Philips, that amounts to a life span of over two decades for just one bulb. For those consumers that have costs in mind, Philips said an energy savings topping $165 over the bulb’s lifespan easily offsets its original cost.
The new bulb gives 940 lumens in a soft white and is 83% more efficient than an incandescent 60-watt bulb. The North American arm of Philips announced they would be having rebates soon. The Philips bulb, which is omni-directional, has no mercury and was submitted to the U.S. competition after 18 months of company testing.
LED bulbs are facing tough competition to the small compact fluorescent bulbs that are similar in levels of efficiency and cost much less. However, coinciding the unveiling with Earth Day, gave Philips a chance to promote the bulb as the friendly choice for the environment.
