New York – LED Bulbs Hit Stores Replacing Regular 100W Bulbs

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    This image provided by Osram Sylvania shows what the company says is the first bulb that uses light-emitting diodes that shine as brightly as regular 100-watt bulbs. The bulbs provide an alternative to compact fluorescents. The federal government banned the production of regular 100-watt bulbs at the start of the year.  (AP Photo/Osram Sylvania)New York – Sorry to see 100-watt bulbs disappear from stores because they were energy hogs? You can now get LED bulbs that roughly match the 100-watters for size and brightness, but use far less energy.

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    Until recently, your only alternative was a compact fluorescent bulb, which has several drawbacks compared with light-emitting diodes. Most people see the light quality as less pleasing, and the bulbs contain a small amount of mercury that’s released if the glass breaks. LEDs, by contrast, don’t contain any volatile, hazardous substances and are durable. They also last longer.

    Osram Sylvania, a division of Germany’s Siemens AG, said Monday that it’s shipping the first batches of its Ultra LED bulb to some Lowe’s stores. The bulb uses 20 watts of electricity and costs $50. It’s slightly larger than a regular 100-watt bulb, so it may not fit in all fixtures. Osram claims 25,000 hours of use, or more than 20 times the lifespan of a standard, incandescent bulb.

    Competitors aren’t far behind. Royal Philips Electronics NV plans to start selling its own, slightly brighter 100-watt-equivalent LED bulb at Home Depot’s website starting in a few weeks for about $55. Startup Switch Lighting Bulb Co., with its unusual liquid-filled bulbs, plans to start selling 100-watt equivalents late this year or in January.

    The federal government banned the manufacture of regular 100-watt bulbs on Jan. 1 as a consequence of new energy-efficiency standards. Much the way it forces car manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency, the government is forcing the lighting industry to move away from incandescent bulbs because they convert relatively little of the electrical input into light. Most of the energy is dissipated as heat. In the next step, 75-watt bulbs will be banned at the start of next year, and 60-watt and 40-watt bulbs at the start of 2014.

    Compact fluorescent bulbs that produce light equivalent to 100-watt bulbs have been available for a few years and cost as little as $4 each.

    LEDs are small chips that produce light when current passes through them. In their red and green incarnations, they’ve been around for decades. Technical breakthroughs in the 90s allowed the manufacture of chips that produce white light.

    LED bulbs equivalent to 60-watt bulbs have been available for a few years and now cost around $25 each. The problem with making brighter models is that while LEDs produce less heat than regular bulbs, the heat they do create shortens the lifespan and reduces the efficiency of the chips. Cramming a dozen chips together in a tight bulb-shaped package that fits in today’s lamps and sockets makes the heat problem worse, and the brighter the bulb, the more heat is produced. LED bulbs have large, finned metal collars to radiate the heat.


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    22 Comments
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    shredready
    shredready
    11 years ago

    once the price goes down people will be happy I hope

    curious
    curious
    11 years ago

    20 bulbs previously cost about 8 dollars. This is a big blow to the consumer. The replacement is about 8 times the price

    ChachoMoe
    ChachoMoe
    11 years ago

    There we go, with the Gov forcing you to spend minimum $50 for a bulb, instead of 1.00 the amount you save on the electric will never pay the diff. especially if you have multiple fixtures that are only used occasionally.

    ohvei
    ohvei
    11 years ago

    There is no need to buy this brand name pricy bulb,there are some good company’s form Taiwan and from china who are making very good led bulbs for a third the price of sylvania and Philips

    ct-yid
    ct-yid
    11 years ago

    i just bought four 13 watt bulbs in costco for 98 cents don’t waste your money on new technology

    TexasJew
    TexasJew
    11 years ago

    Last time I bought a bulb that was suppose to last 10,000 hrs, it burned out after 100hrs.
    What a ripoff.

    bestcpa
    Active Member
    bestcpa
    11 years ago

    I invested in a LED. I am not happy how it gives off light. The coverage doesn’t fill the room the way we know light disburses. The color is different. Experts recommend trying several brands to see how it works. For this price I don’t think many are interested.

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    11 years ago

    The price of light bulbs? About a buck or so each, but you have to add in the 2,423 dead Americans in Iraq.

    itzik18
    itzik18
    11 years ago

    Now we cannot say borei meorei haeish on light bulbs if they have no fillament

    Pragmatist
    Pragmatist
    11 years ago

    Forget about LED’s for the time being and stick with spiral fluorescent bulbs. They’re way cheaper (around $2.00) and produce more even lighting. All this stuff about these LED’s lasting 50,000 hours, baloney: Did they actually test these new bulb designs for 50,000 hours to prove that can last that long? That’s almost 6 years of continuous use. And what if it breaks down after only 20,000 hours? I’m sure that they’ll replace it in five years down the road, if you can find the original receipt. Good luck with that.