Yesterday at the Lightfair International tradeshow in Las Vegas, Royal Philips Electronics unveiled its breakthrough EnduraLED light bulb. This bulb will be the world’s first LED replacement for the 60 watt incandescent light bulb, which represents about half of all domestic incandescent light bulbs sold on the market.
Yesterday at the Lightfair International tradeshow in Las Vegas, Royal Philips Electronics unveiled its breakthrough EnduraLED light bulb. This bulb will be the world's first LED replacement for the 60 watt incandescent light bulb, which represents about half of all domestic incandescent light bulbs sold on the market.
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The EnduraLED lamp will use only 12 watts, last 25 times longer, and deliver up to eighty percent savings on energy costs and avoided maintenance costs. However, the new bulb will produce a light level of 806 lumens, similar to the 60 watt incandescent. To achieve this efficiency, it uses an innovative design and a new technology known as remote phosphor technology, developed by Philips researchers in The Netherlands.
Every year in the United States, 425 million 60 watt incandescent lamps are sold, half of all lamp purchases. If these were all to be replaced by the new EnduraLED light bulbs, Philips estimates the potential saving of 32.6 terawatt-hours of electricity in one year. This would be equivalent to power the lights of 16.7 million US households, 14.4 percent of the total number of households in the county. Environmentally, it has the potential to eliminate the generation of carbon emissions by 5.3 millions metric tons per year.
The new LED bulb is a marked improvement over the last big lighting breakthrough, the compact fluorescent bulb (CFL). The CFL is actually much more efficient than the incandescent but is not without its flaws. CFLs contain trace particles of mercury which can provide a health hazard during disposal or if broken. They are not capable of operating by a motion sensor, and they are not dimmable. On the other hand, the EnduraLED is dimmable and can operate with a motion sensor. Even more, they do not contain mercury.
The standard 60 watt incandescent bulb has a life of 1,000 hours. CFL bulbs of the same wattage have a life of 8,000 hours. The EnduraLED bulb has an amazingly long life of 25,000 hours. According to calculations, over the lifespan of the new LED bulb, replacing the incandescent bulb would amount to $120 per lamp.
In an interview with ENN, CEO of Philips Lighting North America, Ed Crawford, stated that LED technology will replace all incandescent bulbs. The process is already beginning, and will accelerate once US legislation requiring the use of more energy efficient lighting begins in 2012. Presently, Philips has a 40 watt equivalent LED bulb on the market, and the 60 watt equivalent will be available by the end of this year, well ahead of the government legislation. The will put Philips ahead of the curve and position them well as the world leader in lighting technology.
Mr. Crawford also believes new LED technology will usher in a brand new era for lighting. With most lights, people simply flick on the switch, the light comes on, and that’s the end. On the other hand, LED lights are programmable by color, quality, and temperature. New research in organic light emitting diode (OLED) will allow the ability to create lighting effects in the home. LED lighting is the future, and Philips' EnduraLED takes a strong step in that direction.
For more information: http://www.newsinfusion.com/philips/
