PHILIPS announced to have created the “world’s most efficient warm white LED lamp”. The prototype runs at 200 Lumens per Watt (lpw) with a colour temperature of 2.700K. The low colour temperature is particularly remarkable, because hitting 200 lpw with a 6.500K lamp would be much easier and less of an accomplishment. As the majority of consumers prefers warm white colour for their indoor lighting, this is not a minor detail.


Back in February 2010, American LED manufacturer CREE had already announced 208 lpw LED operating in its laboratories with higher colour temperatures and it took two years until 2012 to release this LED with high lpw-rate under the name XLamp MK-R. However, CREE’s MK-R only achieved its high lpw-rating while operating at 1W and 25 degrees Celsius (77F) room temperature. At higher temperatures CREE’s LEDs drop sharply in their lumen production. After the big 200 lpw announcement, CREE explained, that this will be the “next generation of 100+ lumens-per-watt systems” “possible”, meaning that no one will see that sort of efficiency in real-life applications for some time.
   
PHILIPS released, that its new TLED (tube-style light) does not compromise on light quality and that this product is for the real world. With other words, a CRI of above 80, a color temperature of around 2700-3000K, and a respectable light pattern can be achieved.
 
PHILIPS expects their 200 lpw TLED to be available for purchase some time in 2015 or later. As seen in the past, such announcements around the 200 lpw were just talks about laboratory tests with no immediate release of the product to the market.
 
2015 is a long time away and furthermore PHILIPS did not release any pricing expectations.
Regardless of minor criticism, the latest developments of PHILIPS are exciting. The perspective of a 200 lumens-per-watt lamp leaving the lab is a great accomplishment and a clear sign that will very soon make countless users to change their lighting towards LED! md.