light bulb

Plumen I, The First Designer CFL Light Bulb

Even the CFL light bulb is getting the designer treatment. The Plumen I from London-based Hulger is a nontraditional low-energy bulb design that uses a loose, twisted shape rather than a tight spiral. The bulb is meant to be used bare but can work shaded. Alas it won't work in the U.S., Japan and much of central and south America. According to Home Accents Today, a U.S. version of the bulb should be available in early 2011. The Plumen I (230v) can be pre-ordered for a cost of 30 Euros (£20) at plumenshop.com. Purchases will be shipped beginning October 5, 2010.

Tags: cfl, cfl bulb, CFL bulbs, cfl light, CflBulb, light bulb, light bulbs, plumen

Will You Pay $50 For A Light Bulb?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

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