General Electric
A soon-to-be-released light bulb developed by General Electric uses cutting-edge technology to last -- get this -- 17 years!
Let's put it into perspective. Imagine you
have a baby, and you install the soon-to-be-available
Energy Smart LED (light-emitting diode) bulb in the baby's room. That baby will grow up and graduate from high school before that light bulb burns out (based on four hours of use a day).
Of course, there will be a price to pay. The bulbs, which were introduced at
trade shows this year and should be on the market some time in 2011, will cost more than $40 each. That will be the price for the trendsetters among us, also known as "early adopters." As with most new technologies, you can expect the price to drop dramatically in coming years.
The new bulbs are expected to last, according to GE, 25,000 hours -- that's 25 times longer than a regular light bulb and three times longer than a typical compact fluorescent. Each Energy Smart LED bulb would prevent 25 spent light bulbs from ending up in a landfill.
The great part for homeowners is the energy savings. This bulb, GE says, is expected to consume just 9 watt of energy but produce the same light (450 lumens) as a
40-watt bulb. That works out to a 77 percent savings on energy costs. Can you imagine all of our appliances and devices giving us a 77 percent savings on the energy bill?
I know what you're thinking: Why does this the bulb in the image above have fins? According to the company, those fins help drain heat off of the bulb, making it last longer.
It's quite fitting that the Cleveland-GE developed this new technology. It was back in 1962 when
Nick Holonyak Jr. invented the first visible LED bulb while working in a GE laboratory. Holonyak is now 81 and still a researcher at the University of Illinois. Who knows what he'll come up with next?
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 2)
how do they know they last 17 years when they just invented it, they havent been around that long
ReplyYou are kidding aren't you
that sounds good but I recently bought a 3 pack compact flourescent bulb in walmart and have proof of purchase date and life of bulb.. I put the bulb in my lamp on 4/12/10 and it burnt out on 5/22/10... I have contacted GE with proof of purchase and they have not even responded... I intend to follow thru legally.. can you believe they have not even responded to my complaint.....
ReplyDid you go to Walmart first and ask for new ones?
Same thing happened to us, many times. We have bought the 7-yr bulbs, 10-yr, etc. NONE of them have lasted a year...not even close! Some only a couple of months! And generally by that time, you can't even return them to the store. Such a scam!
It happened to me, too. Many times. I bought a GE multi pack and 5 out of the 8 bulbs went bad within a year and a half. I wrote an email to GE and they sent me $16 worth of coupons. It's better than nothing!
I agree. How do they know. I bought another bulb that was suppose to last 7 years. Guess what it only made it a little over one. I would not buy one untill I have seen it work for quite a while. Or untill the price reaches that of other bulbs
Replythe technology has always been out there since the light buld was invented but if you owned a light bulb company , would you make them last 50 years ? a 100 years? its called greed . they dont think of all the new houses and buildings going up evey day that would need new bulbs, or from hurricanes , tornados ect that would tear a house apart or damage the bulbs in some fashion , nooo , they want you to buy bulbs every month or less . and now they come out with 7 yr bulbs and 10 yr and so on . big deal ! why should we pay thru the nose for a longer lasting bulb? i think they could make a nice profit by selling the bulbs at cost plus 40% mark up as most things are prices today or should be . never thought i,d see the day when americans love screwing americans .
ReplyAll well and good for GE, BUT that bulb don't look like it will fit in some lite fixtures, like ceiling fans, ceiling lites and lited exhaust fans in the bathrooms, as well as some lamps. That is the problem I have been facing with my lamps and such in my home. i had to go out and buy new lite fixtures so I could use the newer lite bulbs, yes I have saved a lot of money on my electric ever mo. now, but to get to that point I had to change some lites. The companies who make lamps and such for our homes should change to accommodate these new lite bulbs, so you don't have to make more than one trip to the store. The big problems are the ceiling fixtures.
ReplyI've tried many different LED bulbs and they ALL have grown dim after several months use. Are we being sold snake oil?
ReplyGE can't build anything to last until you get it home. Seventeen years? I'll believe it when I see it - in someone else's house. I stopped buying their junk years ago.
ReplyMr. Shelton: You're going to sue over a light bulb? Good luck with that.
Light bulbs can be made to last. My Grandfather opened an automobile and machine shop in Reno, NV in 1900. He installed a hand-blown Edison bulb which he left on for safety reasons 24 hours a day through 1943. I still have the light globe and it still works! Products today have built-in obsolescence.
ReplyWhy did GM stop making the 283cid engine? why did MACK stop making B model trucks? because they very seldom break down! no money to be made on parts and repairs.....greed is oh soooooo right!
bob
This bulb saves you nothing at $40 a piece, even if it will last 25 times greater than an incandesent which I buy on sale for 99 cents for a 4 pack. Do the math: 25 cents x 25 bulbs = $6.25. With increased energy usage from the traditional bulbs, you may approach the $40 mark after 25 bulbs but you get to spread that cost out over many many years.
ReplyCFL's are garbage from China. I bought a GE CFL for my kitchen fixture and approx 5-6 months later it was burned out...so much for the "lasts 6 years" on the packaging.
I have had similar problems with CFLs. One GE bulb not burned out, but burst into flames! I hate to think what would of happened if I was not in the room when it happened.
Ge cant make anything last 17 years, if you want a light bulb to last 10 years put a diode in series with the bulb and convert it to half wave. The brightness out put wil be a bitless but the buld will last years even if its on 24/7
Replyhomedepot right now have a very similar lamp and here in Puerto Rico the sale price is $19.99
Replylol. The first light bulb lasted 100 years. They make things to break early on purpose. If you sold light bulbs and appliances that lasted forever you'd go out of business.
Reply17 years for a bulb???...it would be amazing not to break it in that time..!
Replyge cant make anything that lasts 2 years , washer / dryer whatever , they used tio make the best products out there , not anymore
Reply