NEW YORK — Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energy-guzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from stores in January.
LightFair trade-show demonstrations this week in Philadelphia mean that brighter LED bulbs will likely go on sale next year but after a 100-watt ban takes effect.
The new bulbs will be expensive — about $50 each — so the change may not stop consumers from hoarding traditional bulbs.
The technology in traditional incandescent bulbs, more than a century old, wastes most of the electricity that feeds the bulbs, turning it into heat. The 100-watt bulb, in particular, produces so much heat that it’s used in Hasbro’s Easy-Bake Oven.
To encourage energy efficiency, Congress passed a law in 2007 mandating that bulbs producing 100 watts’ worth of light meet certain efficiency goals starting in 2012. The same rule will apply to the remaining bulbs, 40 watts and above, in 2014.
