Royal Philips Electronics is set to unveil the world’s first LED replacement for the venerable 75-watt incandescent light bulb. The great reveal will take place tomorrow at the LIGHTFAIR International tradeshow in Philadelphia, PA.

Dubbed the Philips EnduraLED A21, the bulb is rated at 17 watts but designed to shine as brightly as a 75-watt incandescent. It will boast an 80% energy savings over an incandescent and a lifespan 25 times as long.

Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs seem ever on the ascendancy, with their energy efficiency and soft white light so near to that of the incandescent bulbs they aim to replace. Philips’s EnduraLED 12.5-watt bulb, which replaced the 60-watt incandescent, was ENERGY STAR-qualified. The A21 was developed to meet or exceed the ENERYG STAR standards for an LED-based replacement to the 75-watt incandescent.

A retail price hasn’t been set, but consumers should look for these bulbs to sell between $40-45 each. It’s a lot to pay for a product that used to be cheap and disposable, but it’s time for a shift in mind-set. Light bulbs should be seen in the same way we view the lamps that house them. With a 25,000 hour lifetime rating, they’ll probably last longer than your décor choices anyway.

Stay tuned for more news from LIGHTFAIR International.

Credit: PR Newswire