Lemnis Lighting has a new dimmable 6-watt LED bulb that can replace a 60-watt incandescent bulb, and it goes on sale in the United States today. Will consumers be willing to think long-term when it comes to the price?
Sure, the Pharox60 costs $40, which is about 40 times the price of the century-old piece of technology it seeks to replace – or about 50 times the price, once the Pharox60 goes up to $50 per bulb in 2010.
But the Dutch startup says the bulb, which is 90 percent more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, can pay back its extra costs in power bill savings over three years or so.
And it will last for 25 years, giving it a six-fold lifespan advantage over compact fluorescent light bulbs, the other competition for replacing incandescent light bulbs, the company said.
Lemnis has promised to bring 10 million Pharox60 bulbs to market by the end of next year. It has sold about 2.5 million in Europe, where incandescent light bulbs are being phased out under a European Union ban. The United States is set to start phasing out incandescent light bulbs in the coming years (see New York Times).
LED makers have been struggling to bring prices down to levels that could crack the broader market for replacing traditional light bulbs. Startups like Bridgelux, Luminus Devices and Renaissance Lighting have been tackling different sectors of the market, and lighting giants Philips, General Electric and Osram have been buying up startups with promising technology (see Green Light post).
Lemnis's new light bulb was just one of the LEDs on display this week at the West Coast Green environmental decorating and home show in San Francisco.
Green Ray Technology has its own LED light to replace incandescent bulbs, as well as a $70 LED tube light to replace fluorescent tubes with an 80-percent reduction in electricity use (see Green Light post).
And Philips has a prototype 10-watt LED light bulb - one it hopes to mass-produce for $20 to $25 – that it has submitted to the Department of Energy's $10 million "L Prize" program (see New York Times).
