Royal Philips Electronics announced this week that the American Lighting Association (ALA) awarded the new Philips 60 watt-equivalent LED replacement lamp, which was announced earlier this year at Light + Building, as the best LED replacement lamp in the US A19 class, from between 12 other lamp companies who were vying for this award.
With the unveiling of the12 watt MasterLED light bulb, the industry's first LED replacement for a 60 watt incandescent light bulb, Philips marks an important breakthrough in the use of LED lighting technology in everyday applications. Consumers will now have an LED alternative to the most commonly used incandescent bulb, which will deliver up to 80% energy savings and last 25 times longer than its century-old predecessor.
The new lamp uses an innovative design and remote phosphor technology to deliver the same soft white light and shape consumers are familiar with in an incandescent. The MasterLED works with standard dimmers, further simplifying use and allowing consumers to enjoy an effective, low energy solution for lighting in the home. For business users, particularly those within the hospitality sector, the new lamp will provide instant plug-in savings, through extended life and reduced energy and maintenance costs, in comparison with traditional bulbs.
Expanding on the Philips MasterLED family of replacement lighting solutions, the new lamp has a rated life of 25,000 hours, as opposed to a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb which is rated at about 1,000 hours. This means that over the course of the LED life, replacing a 60 watt standard bulb could save a business or household $120 per lamp.
"We challenged ourselves to answer the consumer call for an LED alternative that can mimic the traditional incandescent in light quality, shape and use, in a timeframe most did not think possible," said Eduardo Mataix, Chairman of Philips Lighting Middle East. "This milestone is even more impactful because we have been able to show people around the world that LED lighting can deliver energy efficiency and the warm white light people desire for their homes, without compromise to quality. This new bulb not only underscores our commitment to sustainability, it is a clear example of Philips' global leadership in lighting innovation."
To accelerate the MasterLED's development and introduction to the market, Philips leveraged the expertise of scientists and lighting designers from around the globe; Philips researchers in The Netherlands created a new remote phosphorous technology and light distribution design, LUXEON LEDs were integrated from Philips Lumileds in San Jose, CA, and electronics for the bulb were built at Philips Color Kinetics in Burlington, MA and Philips Lighting Electronics in Rosemont, IL. From there, the bulbs were then sent to the Philips Quality Assurance team in Shanghai to be rigorously tested, ensuring they met exacting quality and safety standards.
