The Lemnis Lighting company in the Netherlands recently unveiled a new 6-watt LED light bulb. The bulb, called the Pharox LED Light, was unveiled at the Lightfair International event in New York this week. The event brings lighting designers from all over the world to unveil new designs of various lighting aspects. The bulb, according to the founder of the company Warner Philips, could replace current incandescent and CFL light bulbs.
The company states that the bulb is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent light bulb. The bulb is able to be used with dimmer switches, which is not the case with most CFL bulbs. In addition, the bulbs do not contain any mercury, which is a concern with CFL bulbs.
Stated Mr. Philips: “CFLs are officially an outdated technology. You can’t recycle CFLs. You can’t get a fully dimmable product. That should make them obsolete.” In addition, the bulb is touted to last 25 years, which is eight times longer than CFLs. The life expectancy of the bulb is approximately 36,000 hours.
The company is already selling a 5-watt bulb, equivalent to a 40-watt bulb, for approximately $35. The company is expected to sell the new 6-watt bulb for approximately $50 on Amazon.com. The higher price is said to be paid back in terms of the long lifespan of the bulb.
Warner Philips believes the cost of the bulbs will decrease rather quickly, just as their 5-watt bulb has. The 5-watt bulb is currently being sponsored by the Clinton Climate Initiative in Europe and 2.5 million of the bulbs will be distributed. Six months ago the cost of the 5-watt was $40, now the price is $35.
There are some concerns with the Pharox LED Lights, such as the bulbs lasting 25 percent less time when used in enclosed fixtures. Also, the bulb is said to be equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent light bulb, however, such a light bulb has a light output of 900 lumens. The advertised level of these bulbs is only about 300 lumens.
Whether or not the Pharox LED Lights are the light bulbs of the future remain to be seen. However, the benefits of eliminating mercury and the ability to recycle the bulbs are definite aspects in the product’s favor.
