Will You Pay $50 For A Light Bulb?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Apr 13th 2010 at 1:01AM

We don't generally cover light bulbs on this site but when a light bulb is going to cost $40-$50 it catches our eye. GE has created a new LED bulb which is designed to distribute light like an incandescent bulb and last 17 years. The 40-watt GE Energy Smart® LED bulb will be available later this year or early 2011. It is expected to provide a 77 percent energy savings and produce nearly the same light output as a traditional 40-watt incandescent bulb as well as lasting more than 25 times as long.

GE believes that customers will pay $40 to $50 for the bulbs which will last for 25,000 hours (that's 17 years with four hours per day of use). It has no filament to break and contains no mercury. It's also cooler to the touch than CFLs and incandescent bulbs. It will fit in a regular socket and come in a variety of shapes. Prototypes of the bulb will be display at two upcoming trade shows: Light + Building 2010 in Frankfurt, Germany and LightFair 2010 in Las Vegas. The press release also reveals something I wasn't aware of: starting in 2012 and continuing through 2014, standard incandescent light bulbs are being phased out as a result of U.S. federal lighting efficiency standards. It starts with 100-watt incandescents in 2012 and by January 2014 60- and 40-watt bulbs will no longer be made.

Tags: 50 light bulb, ge led light, led light bulb, light bulb

Filed under: Decor

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

k1mber1y Apr 13th 2010 7:49PM

What people don't realize is that there are many LED bulbs on the market putting out 40 watts with a 3 to 5 watt usage and those cost $20 or slightly more. The leading difference about this LED lightbulb is that its size is designed to fit any regular fixture. In most cases these a somewhat larger then regular bulbs thus they are not always interchangeable. It's a mix of longevity and just plain convenience.

http://Eaglelight.com

GOT Apr 18th 2010 6:53AM

I'll pay that much if the bulb actually last as long as promised (especially through electrical-utility spikes and drops in current... which kill incandescents), if they make it dimmable and if they make a 1000 lumen version.