Would you pay $60 for a light bulb?

[Deberg_1990]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-earth-day-60-light-bulb-20120422,0,1292136.story




Earth Day 2012 arrives with sticker shock: Brace yourself for the $60 light bulb.

Light bulb manufacturer Philips is flipping the switch Sunday on its new super-duper energy-efficient LED light bulb; that's when the bulb will go on sale at various outlets, including Home Depot. The full retail price is $60, but consumers will be able to find online deals, rebates and subsidies that will cut the price by $10 or more, according to the Associated Press.

Proponents of the new light bulb, which can reportedly last up to 10 years or more, say it will ultimately save consumers money because they won’t have to replace nearly as many light bulbs over time. The Washington Post suggests that the savings could top $100 over the course of a decade.

Philips says the bulb will also save plenty of energy: It consumes less than 10 watts to produce light that is the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent bulb, saving 83% of energy in the process. The company says that if every household in the U.S. used the new bulbs instead of regular 60-watt bulbs, the nation could avoid 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

"That’s enough electricity to power the lights of nearly 18 million U.S. households, or nearly triple the annual electricity consumption of the city of Washington D.C.," a company fact sheet says.

That might make the price tag a little easier to swallow.

Still, the light bulb is not for every budget. Time.com points out that the average U.S. home uses 45 light bulbs, so replacing all of them would run $2,250. To quote Time.com: "Yikes."

The light bulb's release is the result of "the L Prize," a $10-million contract awarded by Congress in 2007 to the manufacturer who could find a way to replace the regular ol' light bulb, which is an energy suck. Philips won the contest by a landslide. (The AP notes that Philips "was the only entrant.")

[In58men]

Never

[mikeyis4dcats.]

no. for all the talk about saving on replacing bulbs, I replace MAYBE 3 light bulbs a year in our house.

[Bump]

considering after maybe 20 years it would start saving me money. HELL NO

[Bugeater]

I can't wait to watch people freak out when they can't buy incandescents any more. That day is coming.

[gblowfish]

Only if some good looking naked babe screws it in using my johnson...

[Mr. Laz]

nah ... but we do have some of the 10 dollar ones that last 10 years.

[boogblaster]

most last bout 1 to 2 years .. no thanks .....

[DaFace]

It wasn't that hard to justify replacing incandescent bulbs with CFL's, but it's gonna be a while before I can go up from there. Given their life span, you'd almost have to just build them into a house and use it as a selling point or something.

[mnchiefsguy]

None of these bulbs actually last as long as the package claims. $60 worth of regular light bulbs will give better light and last longer than this crap.

[Micjones]

Fuck no.

[DaFace]

None of these bulbs actually last as long as the package claims. $60 worth of regular light bulbs will give better light and last longer than this crap.

I don't know that you can confidently say that. CFLs are a completely different technology than LEDs.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Early adopters ALWAYS pay a premium for new technology. That's how it works.

Also, per Time magazine, it may be sold for as cheaply as $20 when it comes out.

That price reflects the cost of the components, especially the top-notch chips, or diodes, that give off the light, and is the price commercial customers will pay. But the manufacturer, Netherlands-based Philips, is discounting it right away to $50 for consumers, and working on deals with electric utilities to discount it even further, by as much as $20 to $30.

This means the bulb will cost anywhere from $20 to $60, depending on where it’s found. Online, consumers will be paying $50 for each bulb, because utilities don’t subsidize online sales.

http://techland.time.com/2012/04/17/rebates-to-cut-price-of-60-led-bulb/

[Shaid]

A lot of bulbs don't last as long as they say but these are LEDs and LED last for freaking ever. I'm pretty sure they'll last a long time, it's just going to be pretty tough to get people to fork over 60 bucks on a bulb. If they were $20, I honestly might consider it.

[Dave Lane]

I can't wait to watch people freak out when they can't buy incandescents any more. That day is coming.

That will be a good day. Of course I'll be dead and LED bulbs will be $.99 by then

[mikeyis4dcats.]

A lot of bulbs don't last as long as they say but these are LEDs and LED last for freaking ever. I'm pretty sure they'll last a long time, it's just going to be pretty tough to get people to fork over 60 bucks on a bulb. If they were $20, I honestly might consider it.

They will last a long time, but at $1.50 a bulb for incandescent or about $3 for CFL, you can replace bulbs 20 times before you break even. If they (incandescent and CFL) only last 2 years thats 40 YEARS (ignoring energy costs, but even at that, it's likely a 25-30 year payback).

[Dave Lane]

A lot of bulbs don't last as long as they say but these are LEDs and LED last for freaking ever. I'm pretty sure they'll last a long time, it's just going to be pretty tough to get people to fork over 60 bucks on a bulb. If they were $20, I honestly might consider it.

They will be $20 next year and $5 two years from now. Think how cheap they are making a single LED flashlight now. Pennies. these will be 1/2 the price of normal bulbs in 5 years.

[mnchiefsguy]

I don't know that you can confidently say that. CFLs are a completely different technology than LEDs.

Maybe..but I am from Missouri...so show me a damn bulb that has actually lasted for 10 years. :thumb:

I know the CFL bulbs suck...we actually bought some a few months back, and they have all died already, and they were supposed to last 3-5 years according to the package. I don't mind if a $1 light bulb goes out in six months, but at what they are charging for these days, they need to be able to meet some of the outlandish standards they are proclaiming.

[Epic Fail 007]

I have this bulb it is not $60.00 like they say. I paid like 18 or 19 dollars. They 20 year of the bulb is based off 3 hrs of usage a day. Otherwise its a 25,000 hr bulb which will last you a long time regardless. Heres a link to them where I bought them. The price did go up from what I paid like 5 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IUMGV4/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

[Shaid]

They will be $20 next year and $5 two years from now. Think how cheap they are making a single LED flashlight now. Pennies. these will be 1/2 the price of normal bulbs in 5 years.

Completely true. In a few years they'll be really cheap and actually worth it.

[Epic Fail 007]

Completely true. In a few years they'll be really cheap and actually worth it.

follow my link above they are 23 now not 60

[BigMeatballDave]

I've been buying cfl's for yrs now.

Incandescent bulbs days are numbered

[Fairplay]

It's Al Gore approved.

[Deberg_1990]

Maybe..but I am from Missouri...so show me a damn bulb that has actually lasted for 10 years. :thumb:

I know the CFL bulbs suck...we actually bought some a few months back, and they have all died already, and they were supposed to last 3-5 years according to the package. I don't mind if a $1 light bulb goes out in six months, but at what they are charging for these days, they need to be able to meet some of the outlandish standards they are proclaiming.

I would have to agree. Ive bought several CFL bulbs over the past few years and they only last like a year maybe. NO way they last 3 to 5 years.

[Extra Point]

I have this bulb it is not $60.00 like they say. I paid like 18 or 19 dollars. They 20 year of the bulb is based off 3 hrs of usage a day. Otherwise its a 25,000 hr bulb which will last you a long time regardless. Heres a link to them where I bought them. The price did go up from what I paid like 5 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IUMGV4/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

What's nice about this bulb, is that it's dimmable. Conventional dimmers won't work with CFL's. Merits further looking into.

[Epic Fail 007]

What's nice about this bulb, is that it's dimmable. Conventional dimmers won't work with CFL's. Merits further looking into.

Yes its nice

[kepp]

...the savings could top $100 over the course of a decade.

Pffffft...no way

[Frazod]

Sounds like these $60 bulbs would go great with a Chevy Volt.

[Lzen]

nah ... but we do have some of the 10 dollar ones that last 10 years.

I tried those types of bulbs when they first became available. They didn't last much longer than regular bulbs. Of course, our wonderful federal gov't in their great wisdom will force us to use these bulbs because they are eliminating good old fashioned incandescent bulbs.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

I tried those types of bulbs when they first became available. They didn't last much longer than regular bulbs. Of course, our wonderful federal gov't in their great wisdom will force us to use these bulbs because they are eliminating good old fashioned incandescent bulbs.

no, they didn't.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678387/kill-the-myth-incandescent-bulbs-are-not-banned

[Lzen]

follow my link above they are 23 now not 60

+ $7 shipping = $30.

[DaFace]

I would have to agree. Ive bought several CFL bulbs over the past few years and they only last like a year maybe. NO way they last 3 to 5 years.

Depends on the manufacturer. We replaced our entire house with CFL's when we moved in 3 years ago. I had one die within a month (out of 30 or so), but the rest are all still going strong.

[mnchiefsguy]

+ $7 shipping = $30.

30 bucks for a single light bulb....and how many would you need for your entire household? I suppose one could skip feeding the kids and paying the mortgage and blow 5-600 bucks on light bulbs....

[cosmo20002]

I would have to agree. Ive bought several CFL bulbs over the past few years and they only last like a year maybe. NO way they last 3 to 5 years.

It obviously depends on how long each day they are on. The time advertised on the package is based on a certain # hours per day. Given the same usage, the CFLs definetely last longer than the others.

[DaFace]

I have this bulb it is not $60.00 like they say. I paid like 18 or 19 dollars. They 20 year of the bulb is based off 3 hrs of usage a day. Otherwise its a 25,000 hr bulb which will last you a long time regardless. Heres a link to them where I bought them. The price did go up from what I paid like 5 bucks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IUMGV4/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00

Technically, that's not the same bulb. It's the same basic concept, but the one the OP is talking about is slightly brighter and uses slightly less energy. Here's a link to the specs of the one in the OP.

http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/lightcommunity/trends/l-prize/about.wpd

[cookster50]

Technically, that's not the same bulb. It's the same basic concept, but the one the OP is talking about is slightly brighter and uses slightly less energy. Here's a link to the specs of the one in the OP.

http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/lightcommunity/trends/l-prize/about.wpd

This, the $60 bulb uses 10 watts, which was the magic number for the gov grant.

[evolve27]

I'll stick to my $10 energy saving light bulb and save myself a lot more money

[BigMeatballDave]

I would have to agree. Ive bought several CFL bulbs over the past few years and they only last like a year maybe. NO way they last 3 to 5 years.

They vary greatly. I remember one in bought I 2003 that lasted 4 yrs.

Also, a few weeks ago I was at Sam's and they had a great deal on cfls.

4-pack of 100w for $2.35 and a 6-pack of 60w for under $2.