Table of Content
Offering warm, even light, it appears a real contender for nudging out the beloved incandescent bulb. Which maxed out at 429 lumens, or a 40-watt equivalent, which just isn't enough light for many spots around my house. The bulb, now called the 12-watt EnduraLED, will be available by the beginning of December and will cost between $40 and $50, representatives from Philips and Home Depot said today. Home Depot later this year plans to carry a Philips LED bulb designed as a replacement for the common 60-watt incandescent. Competition for commercial LEDs aimed at consumers is most likely going to get fierce. In addition to Philips, other LED companies are developing their own attempts to dethrone the 60-watt incandescent and prices are projected to come down over the next few years.
Obviously, color temperature is a personal preference but I think the warm yellow white will feel familiar to people used to incandescents and halogens. Some LED manufacturers offer the option of warm or white light versions of their bulbs. It's rated at 2700 Kelvin, which is at the "warm white" end of the white light spectrum, according to the Department of Energy's new Lighting Facts label. Philips put the phosphors, which convert the blue light from LED light sources into white light, on the bulb itself rather than the LEDs as is often done. Obviously, paying between $40 to $50 for a light bulb seems like a lot for people used to spending a few dollars at the hardware store.
Home Depot to sell Philips LED to replace 60-watt bulb
The shape of the Philips bulb was designed specifically to improve the light dispersal, Casanova said. By their nature, LEDs direct light, which makes them very good for downlights or flood lights. I used the Philips bulb in an overhead lamp and was happy with it; I'd say it would work fine in table lamp, too. I have been using an early production version of the Philips bulb around my house for the last few days. At first blush, I'd say this is the sort of product that could finally help nudge out the beloved, if wasteful, incandescent bulb.
I never thought I'd get excited about light bulbs before, but when I received the Philips EnduraLED 60-watt replacement, I was eager to try it out. Under the EcoSmart label earlier this year, which includes both spotlights and general-lighting LEDs. The Philips bulb will likely be sold under a different name than 12-watt EnduraLED, Philips representative Silvie Casanova said.
LED bulbs creep into the home (photos)
But for people willing to take a longer view, energy efficient lighting with LEDs looks like it'll be a compelling option. In terms of efficiency, the lumens per watt on the 12 watt EnduraLED comes in at 67. That's slightly better than EnergyStar-certified CFLs, which put out 800 lumens with 13 watts to 15 watts for an efficacy of between 53 and 61. But, this LED is rated to last 25,000 hours, about three to four times that of CFLs.
