Philips Celebrates Earth Day With $5 60-Watt LED Bulb, Sweetens Deal With 2-For-1 Promo

Incandescent bulbs may be a 19th century invention, but some people swear by the bulbs due to the pleasant light they give off (despite the drain they put on your energy bill). For a time, CFLs were seen as the next logical step as a replacement for incandescent bulbs in residential homes, but LED technology is quickly dropping in price and more and more people are starting to embrace the extremely efficient bulbs.

Philips is hoping to capitalize on the efficiency revolution with a new family of LED bulbs that will be available starting in early May. The new Everyday LED bulb is equivalent to a 60W incandescent bulb, but only sips 8.5 watts and puts out 800 lumens. The A19 bulb clocks in at 2700K (soft white light) and has a yearly average cost of $1.02 based on three hours of usage per day, which will save $62 over its lifespan compared to an incandescent bulb. Life expectancy (also based on three hours a day usage) is 10,000 hours, a bit lower than the competition.

Philips has priced the bulb at a low $4.97, and that price is without any local power utility subsidies applied. So you can be sure that once utilities jump onboard, pricing is likely to start creeping further downward in the coming months. But if your still consider $4.97 too much for a single LED bulb, Philips has teamed up with Home Depot for a rather enticing offer. During its first 90 days of availability, Home Depot will offer a twin-pack of the Everyday LED bulb for the same $4.97 price (while supplies last) – you can view extended details on Home Depot’s product page.

“[We] understand that quality LEDs should not be a luxury or something that only those that live in areas with robust utility rebate programs can afford,” said Amy Huntington, president of Philips Lighting Americas. “With this bulb, consumers have a quality, day-to-day option for any area in their home that is as good for their wallet as it is for the environment.”

Given the low pricing of Philips’ new bulb, there are a few downsides. Philips says that the bulb is only good for indoor use, and you can only use it with open fixtures. Another knock against the bulb, but not surprising given its low cost, is that it is not dimmable.

But given how many light fixtures are in the average house, being able to score two name brand LED bulbs for $5 — even if only for a limited time — is an opportunity that few will likely want to miss.