Introducing the $60, 20-year light bulb ("Going Green" still "Going Ridiculous")

cbs ^ | 4/18/2012 | ap

[tobyhill]

How much would you pay for an amazing, state-of-the-art light bulb? Shoppers will be asking themselves that very question at Home Depot and other outlets starting Sunday — Earth Day — when the bulb that won a $10 million government contest goes on sale.

The bulb is the most energy-efficient yet, lasts about 20 years and is supposed to give off a pleasing, natural-looking light. But what separates it from the pack most is the price: $60.

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.

[zeugma]

Actually the trick is lowering the voltage. A typical incandescent will last practically forever if you drop the voltage to half its rating.

Yup. If you could buy incandesent bulbs intended for sale in europe where voltage is something like 220 and use them here (110), you'd have  a light bulb that would likely outlive you.

[Right Wing Assault]

See my post #38.