Philips researchers have developed a tube lighting replacement LED prototype (TLED) that produces 200 lumens per watt of white light (compared with 100lm/W for fluorescent lighting and 15lm/W for incandescent light bulbs), which makes this prototype TLED lamp twice as energy efficient as predecessor lamps.
The 200lm/W TLED lamp is expected to hit the market in 2015 for office and industry applications before ultimately being used in the home.
The new TLED prototype lamp from Philips marks the first time that lighting engineers have been able to reach 200lm/W efficiency without compromising on light quality, with all parameters required to meet the stringent requirements for office lighting, according to Philips. The TLED lamps are intended to replace fluorescent tube lighting used in office and industry, which currently account for more than half of the world’s total lighting.
In the US alone, for example, fluorescent lights consume around 200 terawatts of electricity annually. If these lights were all replaced with 200lm/W TLEDs, the US would use around 100 terawatts less energy - equivalent to 50 medium sized power plants, according to the company.
In 2012, Philips said the latest generation of its 60 watt A-19 LED bulb uses 10 percent less energy than its 12.5 watt predecessor while increasing brightness by nearly 5 percent, thanks to a new design using Philips AirFlux technology, an airflow cooling system that the company says eliminates the traditional distracting heat sink fins needed for thermal management of LED bulbs.
