Sorry if this is a repost but I didnt see it posted here anywhere else. Please read the entire article before commenting. Also considering that this is now more than 2 year old technology, just imagine what must loom on the horizon. The product could be in stores as soon as early 2012, according to the DOE.
Philips Lighting North America has won the first award under the Department of Energy’s L-Prize competition. Philips submitted its entry in 2009 and the DOE has been field testing the bulbs for the past 18 months. The bulbs had to meet or exceed these requirements: greater than 900lm at 10W or less for an efficacy of greater than 90W/lm at a color-corrected temperature (CCT) of 2700-3000K and a color rendering index (CRI) of at least 90. The Philips bulb exceeded all these requirements during the 18 month trial.
In the announcement of the award, no mention was made of pricing; However, the original requirements called for a target retail price of $22 for the first year it was offered for sale, $15 for the second year, and $8 in the third year. Philips has said it plans to offer the bulb for retail sale as soon as early 2012.
Philips will receive a $10 million cash prize as well as L Prize partner promotions and incentives. To date, 31 utilities and energy efficiency program partners stand ready to promote and develop markets for the winning product. Up to two additional entrants in this category may be eligible for program partner promotions, increasing the number of possible qualifying products to three.
The bulb uses a clever remote phosphor system to gain a spherical distribution of light, unlike earlier sno-cone LED bulbs. For a tear-down of a similar Philips bulb, visit:
I have seen advertisements for this bulb and was surprised at the price. I thought it would be much more expensive initially than it is. Of course I did contribute to the 10 million dollars.
UPDATE: Both Maury Wright and reader Navigator below in the comments point out that the L-Prize bulb is a different bulb. I checked with Philips and got this prompt reply: “The L Prize lamp that is in consideration is 900 lumens, less than 10 watts and is not commercially available as the DOE is still in the process of considering it.
The Philips EnduraLED is 806 lumens, 12.5 watts and currently commercially viable. We took what we learned with the L Prize lamp to bring a viable 60 watt equivalent to market.”
I did a little short review-typical stuff, simple teardown, a few pictures, spectral plots, CRI and S/E-CRI, lumens, ID'd a few unique components, and some basic comparision plots, you know- the typical stuff. Pictures are large, but most like it that way. Please keep in mind this is a work in progress- if anyone has some interest in these. (I've been out of the hobby side of things since CPF forcefully "retired" my account there):
Well, at $50 a bulb, it is definitely expensive. But I have to say, it is by FAR the best LED bulb I have used so far. And I have used a lot now. Very bright, and the color rendition is superb! As easy on the eyes as an incandescent! Just looking around the room, reds are nice and rich, and blues are deep. MUCH better than ANY CFL I have ever used. Gone are the strange greenish, and other color casts from every other LED bulb I have tried before. Not to mention all the issues with CFL light. Instead a nice warm light that makes one feel relaxed fills the room. Philips has an absolute winner on their hands. Once the price gets down to ~$20 a bulb, I will replace every light in my house with these. (the old model is already down to $25 a bulb).
Hopefully a 100 watt replacement is not far behind. Not to mention a 75.
