Toshiba's LED lamps challenge 100W bulbs
Toshiba Lighting and Technology (TLT) Corporation will soon release a series of LED-based downlights that boast a brightness equivalent to that of a conventional 100 W incandescent bulb.
Due to launch on August 1, there are eight different models in the "E-CORE100" range. They are said to deliver up to 920 lm in total light output at a maximum efficacy of 65 lm/W.
Having previously launched 40 W and 60 W equivalents, the Toshiba subsidiary claims that its E-CORE100 lamps will be the brightest LED lamps on the market.
However, that 920 lm figure only applies to one of the models, which has a color temperature of 5000 K "“ similar to that of a cool-white fluorescent lamp. What s more, the lamps do not come cheap. TLT quotes a list price of ¥38,000 ($360) for the 5000 K lamp, excluding tax.
Other lamps in the new range include two warm-white sources with a color temperature of 2800 K "“ a good match to regular incandescent bulbs.
One of these warm-white lamps is optimized for power efficiency, and produces 730 lm at 51 lm/W, but with a low color rendering index. When optimized to produce a better color rendering figure, however, the output and efficacy drop to 500 lm and 35 lm/W respectively.
On the power efficiency front, both of those lamps still compare well with one of Toshiba s existing range of incandescent lamps, which deliver slightly more light but at an efficacy of only 12 lm/W. TLT s assertion that its new lamps offer a five-fold improvement in power consumption only holds true for the cool-white downlights with a low color rendering index.
But despite the high price of its new lamps, TLT is anticipating strong demand and aiming to sell 60,000 units per year. It adds that the higher efficiency of the cool-white lamps should mean that their additional up-front cost is recouped after about five years of ownership when running for 12 hours each day and 250 days each year.
