CES Live: Philips Exec says LED light bulbs won’t drop below $10 for years

Jan. 13, 2012, Consumer Electronics Show—Light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs came under scrutiny at a panel discussion Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show. The discussion focused on the products’ affordability. According to panelist Andrew Lindstrom, who is director of business development for Philips Lighting North America, LED bulbs, which cost about $25 for a 60-watt version, won’t drop below $10 for a few years.

Although LED bulbs are established as an energy-efficient product, the panel conceded that consumers don’t opt immediately for the bulbs because of price. Lindstrom said consumers probably will consider LED bulbs to be the go-to technology when that price sinks to the $10–$15 range. Asked when that could be, Lindstrom avoided pinpointing a date but said that based on pricing history, LED light bulbs stand to see a price drop of about 50 percent every 24–36 months.

In the meantime, consumers now have more information on light-bulb packaging to consider before they make a purchase. Federal Trade Commission recently invoked labeling requirements for LED bulbs, which call for manufacturers to list lighting facts, such as brightness, annual energy-consumption cost and estimated life. The requirements are designed to help consumers to compare brands and the performance of an LED bulb with that of a conventional light bulb.

Still, performance remains an issue, and manufacturers are working to improve that, says S. Pekka Hakkarainen, who is vice president of Lutron Electronics. One troublesome matter: the bulbs’ operation when they are connected to a dimmer switch. Hakkarainen demonstrated an LED bulb/dimmer-switch combination to show that an LED bulb will dim but also that the bulb goes off when the dimmer switch is set to just halfway. He told Consumers Digest and others in attendance that a worldwide standard for LED bulbs and their compatibility with lighting controls is being developed and that Environmental Protection Agency is expected to use those standards. He also expects new dimmer-switch designs to emerge that will better serve LED bulbs.

– P. Snyder