Philips announces new LED downlights, price drop on top retrofit lamp

Prices continue to drop on LED retrofit lamps, and Philips Lighting has announced that its most popular 60W-equivalent LED lamp will now sell for $14.97 at retailer Home Depot, with additional rebates available in many markets. The company also announced a solid-state lighting (SSL) retrofit product in the CorePro LED downlights from the Lightolier brand that can be installed in retrofit scenarios in 27 seconds.

Energy Star for $15

The price drop on the 11W Philips retrofit lamp is on the product that Philips used as a transition from remote-phosphor A-lamps to similar shaped lamps with a white off state. We covered the introduction of the 830-lm lamp late last year. The product has been selling at Home Depot for $17.97.

At introduction, Philips has said that the lamp was designed for Energy Star compatibility, but that has taken some time and as we write this Home Depot doesn't identify the product as Energy Star qualified. A Philips spokesperson said, however, that the lamps has been qualified and that status and the new price should be evident at Home Depot stores and on the retailer's website shortly.

Philips also said than in over 600 markets in the US, the lamps will sell for under $10 with local utility rebates. Moreover, in some states — including Vermont and Maine — the rebates will bring the price to $5. Philips 40W- and 75W-equivalent A-lamps, and BR30 LED floodlights also qualify for rebates.

CorePro downlights

Moving to the downlight space, Philips Lightolier has new SSL retrofit products for existing downlight fixtures with 4- and 6-in. apertures. A 12.8W, a 1000-lm CorePro delivers efficacy of 87 lm/W and 80% energy savings over incandescent lighting.

The more interesting part of the news, however, centers on the installation process. Philips went so far as to specify a quick 27 seconds as an install time. The company expects residential consumers to businesses to take advantage of the quick-install luminaires.

The product uses a socket on a cable to connect to the medium screw base in existing downlight enclosures. Springs allow the fixture to securely mount in the housing. The downlights are also Energy Star certified and rated for 50,000 hours of life.