Maybe you should.
This week, Philips Lighting said that its AmbientLED 12.5-watt bulb — which, just to confuse you, is also sold under the Philips EnduraLED brand — has qualified for a EPA’s Energy Star rating. That means that it’s an efficient and, quite possibly cost-effective alternative to the 60-watt bulb, even with a $39.97 list price at Home Depot.
Here’s how the math works, at least according to Philips:
A conventional 60-watt bulb lasts about 1,000 hours, uses 60 watts of electricity (duh) and costs $180 to run for 25,000 hours.
The LED equivalent lasts 25,000 hours (nearly three years if you left it on 24/7), uses 12.5 watts and costs $37.50 to run for 25,000 hours.
That assumes electricity costs of 12.5 cents/kwh, slightly higher than average across the U.S. but a lot less that you pay in high-cost states like California.
Practically a bargain, no?
The Energy Star rating matters because it means that the bulb, which is evidently the first LED bulb in its category to qualify, can earn you a rebate from your local utility. There’s more on the rebates here from the U.S. Department of Energy. Each state has its own rebate program, forms to fill out, etc. Fun.
Better news is that for now Phillips is offering a $10 cash rebate on the bulb.
CNET’s Martin Lamonica wrote last fall:
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.
What about the heavey metals
What about the heavey metals in LED's? Arsenic? People in third world countries being exposed to them...
What about the light being put out by CFL's, it fades materials, is not good for the eyes and causes headaches?
How about Cold Compact Fluorescent Bulbs?
Also, have you ever seen a fire fly? What causes them to light up using basic carbon based materials that are non-toxic, abundant and bio degradable? Why can't we do that?
I use just one light bulb in
I use just one light bulb in the center of my efficiency apartment.
It's been replaced just once in almost 2 years.
The $40 bulb would have to last at least 40 or more years for it to be worth it to me.
I'll get a CFL next once this bulb goes out and it's supposed to last a very long time.
How much energy went in to
How much energy went in to making these bulbs? A lot. LED manufacturing requires a semiconductor manufacturing plant. This is why there costs are currently high. One needs to do a LCA (life cycle analysis) to determine the total energy cost, as well as environmental cost. To just look at bulb wattage is misleading.
LEDs are great for headlamps and specialty outdoor lighting. Use your pocketbook to decide whether they are right for you.
Yes, you are right. That is
Yes, you are right. That is why LED bulbs cost $40 not $0.5 like incandescent.
How much energy went in to
How much energy went in to making these bulbs? A lot. LED manufacturing requires a semiconductor manufacturing plant. This is why there costs are currently high. One needs to do a LCA (life cycle analysis) to determine the total energy cost, as well as environmental cost. To just look at bulb wattage is misleading.
LEDs are great for headlamps and specialty outdoor lighting. Use your pocketbook to decide whether they are right for you.
You calling me cheap? Hmm.
You calling me cheap?
Hmm. let's see... Food.... or a stupid lightbulb? Tough choice.
LEDs aren't ready for home
LEDs aren't ready for home use yet. They are expensive and their life is overstated, as their production is not refined as it should/will be. They also cannot manufacture white ones yet. There's huge problems with color temperature as well. Sorry, it's just not there yet.
Cfls on the other hand are a good alternative, maybe not right for every fixture in the house, but good for many. I don't see incandescent going away for awhile, but eventually they will. A good thing too, they are wastefull and are energy hogs.
You can buy this one in
You can buy this one in Europe for 20€... and if u're a professional just for 15 €
Wishes 4all!
Why not instead of attacking
Why not instead of attacking people for not will to make a future investment in buying over priced light bulbs that may save them money in the future you attack the company for blatantly overpricing these light bulbs. It is irrelevant how much they may save you in the future how much do they cost to produce thats what I want to know. I would be surprised if they were more than $5 and I think thats even high. Phillips should sell them at a reasonable price ($8-10) and people will switch right away.
No its not a good investment.
No its not a good investment. Phillips is abusing the LED ideology to make a short lived sucky bulb. as you crank up LED brightness you shorten lifespan. the PROPER way to use LED is to make them brighter by using MORE LED's so you retain the 50k or even 80k hours lifespan.
FIRST You being DISHONEST by comparing an LED to a INCANDESCENT. the PROPER and ONLY VALID comparison is LED to CFL.
Lets do some math.
13watt CFL $1 10,000 hours.
12.5 watt LED $40 20,000 hours
do I even need to BOTHER doing the math here folks? they use the SAME POWER so I don't even need to calculate electrical usage
CFL 20,000 hours 2 bulbs $2
LED 20,000 hours 1 bulbs $40
ahh .5 watts power savings is not going to cover that $38 divide.
NOW lets try doing it RIGHT.
GE 2.8 watt LED bulb $10 (Sam's Club 2 pack $20) bulb 20,000 hours. I run them at 1.7-1.8 watts (variac) to more than double the life span and reduce over heating so around 50,000 hours.
I need 8 of them to replace the CFL's so $80
$80 for $50,000 hours at ~14 watts consumption or $98 in electricity
replacing 4 CFL's 10,000 hours $4 ($1 each) I will need to get 5 sets so $20 in bulbs
they consume 13watt a pop so 52 watts. or about 4 times more power.
LED's consume $98 in electricity at current costs over 50,000 hours (14cents a kw is my yearly average)
so total cost for LED's is $178 including the cost of the bulbs and will last 45 years ie nearly as long as I will be alive. No more trips to the store to buy more either.
CFL's will cost $364 in electricity plus the $20 for the bulbs so $384
so these $10 each LED bulbs will save me $206 over their lifespan.
THAT is how you do it. for me I am going to actually use 12 bulbs and lower the wattage even more pushing their lifespan over 80,000 hours or longer than I will be alive.
You make LED brighter by USING MORE OF THEM. not by making them BRIGHTER.
this requires a CHANGE In how we do Lighting. POINT SOURCE lighting becomes less practical. (single bulb) you need to start thinking ARRAY's of lights and disbursing them around the room to get an evenly lit space using a lot less power.
WHY is phillips doing this? easy. by forcing the LED to be brighter they get point source lighting and a lifespan short enough to INCREASE PROFIT while saving you NOTHING.
I am disappointed that greenbiz would purposely deceive its readers by incorrectly comparing the LED bulb to the INCANDESCENCE when you should be comparing to the CFL
I AM A MASSIVE LED supporter. IT IS the future in my eyes (short of inventing something else)
I have been buying LED's since they cost $45 for a 35 light string of christmas lights (now $5 for $100 is possible and in warm white no less)
I have a little over HALF of my house completely LED with the rest using CFL and hope by next winter to be 100% LED except maybe in the garage. we use that light so little it may not be sensible to go LED yet their)
I LOVE LED's but this "crap" from phillips is just that. Crap.
start shopping on ebay and deal extreme. you have to be careful your going to waste some momey as you get badly designed bulbs (I have a box full of bad LED's)
but when you find some that work either VERY low power or VERY obvious heat sinking you will have a good bulb.
you need to ARRAY Point source is very hard to do at least until we get some affordable 100 watt per lumen bulbs out. (the phillips bulb is around 55-60 lumens a watt which is actually NOT that bad but they ruin it by cranking up the power to too few an LED's causing short lifespan)
We've used CFLs for years.
We've used CFLs for years. Not once have they lived up to even close their stated lifespan. We have incandescent bulbs that have lasted much longer than CFLs.
LED bulbs also create a lot
LED bulbs also create a lot of heat, they are bulky, and they put out less light over time. The real news story on efficient bulbs is about the new VU1 cathode ray bulbs that produce very little heat, have a more natural light, and are even dimable.
I have used several brands of
I have used several brands of LED bulbs, not only do they save energy, they save light!!!!! After about 100 hours they significantly decrease light output. I have 3 LED units in the garage that are no better now than night lights. Technology that just isn’t ready for prime time.
use LED bulbs they work
use LED bulbs they work efficient without the damaging the environment
I also love how you
I also love how you acknowledge that you are using a higher than average electric cost....solely because it suits your needs. And then try to explain it away by saying "Well...SOME people pay more." Of course, some people pay LESS than the avrage as well...which is less than what you quoted. And let's also not ignore the fact that $40 today is not the same as $10 for the next 4 years.
Absolutely right, people
Absolutely right, people always ignore the minority part.everyone want to be rich, but that's not gonna happen, so just let people make their choice, only yourself know what you really want.
If you were a REAL journalist
If you were a REAL journalist and not just a blogger, you wouldn't have even THOUGHT about writing an article about the costs and then compared it to just incandescents rather than also including CFLs price tag.
Why bother listing CFL
Why bother listing CFL prices? They're just bad and always will be. Many CFL bulbs produce badly colored light, they flicker when they're starting to go bad, and they contain mercury which is really bad if they break; it's a lose/lose.
I've personally been looking forward to LED bulbs, but many are going to be skeptical of 'green' lighting after having CFL bulbs pushed on them for years. I hope that the major retailers are putting these new LED bulbs with a demo display so people can check out the quality of light or it's going to be really hard to justify spending $40 for 1 bulb. There were many claims about CFL bulbs when they first came out that just weren't true, the ideal condition numbers were far off from real world usage, especially in terms of how long they would last. I think too many will pass on the first round of LED bulb, especially because everyone knows that these are first generation models and will have improvements/price reductions with time. Personally I'll also be waiting to see what the real numbers are and they really work as described. Until we know how they work in the real world and not just based on calculations most people will still buy incandescent bulbs, because they work they way they're supposed to and you know exactly what you're going to get when you buy one.
stop buying CRAP CFL's I buy
stop buying CRAP CFL's
I buy GE and Sylvania. Why? they are 100% indistinguishable from a godo quality 60watt soft incandescent.
when I put them in an array together so far people are 0% for guessing which is the incan and which is the CFL.
I also now buy them from DOLLAR TREE of all places. 13watt $1 and so far they are living up to the 10,000 life span rating.
at work we reduced our electric bill by $150 or more per month by going all CFL. these bulbs PAY for themselves in electrical savings in 3-5 days at work so I don't really CARE how long they last.
at home they pay for themselves in 1-3 months so again I don't care how long they last. if I get 1 year out of them I don't care since they paid for themselves 4 times over already at least.
Mercury? your kidding right? go eat some deep sea fish you just ate more mercury than is in these bulbs.
LED is the future. I have about half my house converted to LED. I hope by next winter to be 100% led. guess how many phillips bulbs I will have? at $40 a pop NONE.
when they can make that bulb for $8 or $10 them it MIGHT be worth it but the 20k hours lifespan will still be a turn off.
how about $8 and 30-40 watts equiv and 40k hours lifespan. NOW THAT would be worth it. need more light? USE MORE BULBS. duh. :-)
that is how you get more light from led's NOT by increasing power by using MORE OF THEM.
“LED light bulbs, by the way,
“LED light bulbs, by the way, offer significant advantages over curlicue CFLs. They contain no mercury, turn on instantly, last longer and are more efficient."
More efficient? Manufacturers have been guilty of over-hyping LEDs efficiencies, and I would be leery of Phillips’ claims until they can be verified by a third party. Case in point, the DOE found that LED T8s were half as efficient as T8 fluorescents.
Good blog on the subject here: www.clearenergy.com
I'd like to one of the
I'd like to one of the Philips bulbs myself. I've installed a couple of LED downlights, but not one of the bulbs. Here's some good info on LEDs: http://bit.ly/goxOXp