Philips Electronics North America has kicked off a long-anticipated price war in home lighting, with a 10.5-watt LED bulb for just under $15 at Home Depot. And by the end of the year, Philips expects to market a similar bulb for a little less than $10.
At 10.5 watts, the LED lamps produce as much light as a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb and a fraction of the heat.
Philips rates the lifetime of the 10.5-watt LED lamps more than 18 years under normal household use. That's less than the the 23-year-rating of the more expensive LED bulbs that have been on store shelves for a couple of years.
Even at $15, the LED lamp is half or a third of the price of competing LED bulbs, including those that Philips currently sells. One difference, which the company does not believe will matter to most households, is that the 10.5-watt bulb cannot be dimmed like the more expensive versions.
