Light bulb of the future available for Earth Day

A revolutionary new light bulb being introduced across stores in New York City just in time for Earth Day could be the future of energy efficient lighting, experts say.The Philips LED 60-watt replacement bulb uses just 10 watts of energy, has the same color quality as standard incandescent lights and lasts for over a whopping 25 years."I think it's a phenomenal product," said Brad Paulsen, Light Bulb Merchant at The Home Depot. "Truly in my mind, they're the way of the future."Getting the most environmentally friendly light bulb out there will take a chunk of change out of consumer's pockets - it retails for $49.97 - though it does promise savings of more than $6 in energy costs a year and leaves a much smaller carbon footprint than the traditional incandescent bulb.
It also gives off more of a natural-looking light and doesn't contain some of the same dangerous chemicals that the also environmentally friendly CFL bulbs contain."There are really three options: good, better best," Paulsen said, when asked about the CFL bulbs as a cheaper earth-friendly option.Paulsen said the new LED bulb would be available in Manhattan stores for Earth Day while supplies last, but is available online for customers around the country."We've seen sales that have certainly exceeded our expectations," he said.The light bulb brightened on the scene when it was awarded the Department of Energy's Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize) competition last year and the company began slowly rolling out the product in stores across the country this year.The DOE estimates that if every 60-watt incandescent bulb in the U.S. was replaced with the L Prize winner, the country would save about $3.9 billion a year in electricity costs and avoid 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
ALVA, a manufacturer of LED light fixtures has been awarded the PIA for their Betty LED Wall Sconce. This is ALVA's first product and it has received outstanding customer reception due to the warm, even light and numerous shade options.The Architectural SSL PIA awards program was established to recognize innovative developments in LED lighting. A panel comprised of 24 distinguished designers and lighting specialists reviewed submissions based on industry-leading performance and functionality.Judges' comments: "Essentially, end-users get the best of both worlds, capitalizing on the energy efficiency of LED, while not compromising on the quality or quantity of light."