CES: Switch pitches high-tech bulbs for clean lighting

Las Vegas: Silicon Valley startup Switch is hoping to sell businesses on the benefits of LED light bulbs.

The company said that its line of liquid-cooled LED bulbs offer all the lighting qualities of incandescent bulbs, while sporting a longer life and better performance than CFL bulbs.

The Switch bulbs, which fit into a standard light socket, use a non-toxic liquid cooling system to draw heat from the light source. Additionally, the design of the bulb itself draws heat, allowing the bulbs to overcome orientation restrictions placed on previous LED light designs.

Unlike CFL bulbs, the Switch lights do not require additional time to reach full brightness and the units do not contain any mercury or other toxic chemicals. When the bulbs are spent after their estimated six to seven-year lifespan, the company asks that users ship the units back for recycling.

Chief strategy officer Brett Sharenow said the company's aim was to create a long-life bulb, which can replicate the lighting quality and dimming flexibility of conventional incandescent lights preferred by many businesses.

Currently priced at around $30 each, Switch is aiming to reduce the price of the bulb to $20 or less within the year.

"The big thing about this bulb is that it uses 80 per cent less energy than an incandescent," Sharenow explained.

"In commercial applications in general, they really would like to get back to the light quality that you get from an incandescent bulb."

In addition to the savings from the reduced power consumption, Switch also sees businesses saving on maintenance costs. By adding years onto the lifespan of a bulb, customers can reduce the time spent replacing light fixtures.

Currently limited to the US 120V system, the company hopes to release versions of the bulb suited for use in the UK and Europe by the end of 2012. Sharenow believes the bulbs will be a particular hit in the UK, where energy costs can be double that of the US.

"For a commercial application, the payback is about six months," he said.

"To commercial users, it is a no-brainer."