Philips’ line of Hue light bulbs and accessories has become nearly synonymous with the smart home over the last few years. However, finding a happy medium between a traditional light bulb and the pricier smartphone-connected models has been a struggle. Philips has single color Hue bulbs but they are still not cost-effective.
Today, this situation has been remedied by the new $9 SceneSwitch LED Light Bulb. Philips’ latest illumination product is able to recreate three different shades of ambient lighting with the touch of a button. And at that price, you’re likely to forget some of its shortcomings…
Much like any other LED bulb on the market, installation is very straightforward. All you’ll need to do is screw in your new bulb into a socket and turn on the power source. From there, every flick of the switch will turn the hue a different color. After the light stays on for six seconds, it will recall which color you’ve chosen next time it is turned on.
The beauty of this $9 light is that you won’t need an extra hub like Philips’ other Hue products. There’s no need for extra wiring and setup is very straightforward. Unfortunately, with that goes the ability to control these bulbs from your smartphone. It’s a simple trade-off but something to consider against Hue’s more robust feature set. That said, we think this will be a very attractive alternative for those spots in your home where a Hue light is overkill.
Philips’ new SceneSwitch LED Light Bulbs are available for purchase today from Home Depot for $8.97. Be sure to hit up our daily Green Deals roundup for even more price drops on energy conscious products.
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Introducing Philips SceneSwitch, a New LED with Three Settings in One Bulb, Giving Consumers Ultimate Flexibility in Choosing the Right Light for Different Tasks
- New research reveals need for multi-purpose lighting
- Less than 30% of consumers are confident they are making the right lighting choice
- Household disagreements about home décor lighting are prevalent
SOMERSET, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With all of the difficult home décor decisions facing consumers, choosing the right lighting shouldn’t be one of them. New research from Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), the global leader in lighting, confirms that the majority of consumers – 93% – talk about lighting with the people in their home, with nearly one-third (31%) saying it is among their top three most important home décor areas. Despite this, only 28% feel confident they are making the right lighting choice, and more than half – 56% – indicated that they have household disagreements about lighting.
To provide consumers with the ultimate flexibility in choosing the right light for different tasks, Philips Lighting has introduced Philips SceneSwitch. With options for three different light settings, the LED bulb caters to a wide range of preferences. Consumers can easily select a scene – daylight, soft white light and a warm glow – to suit whatever task they are doing, whether it’s working, reading, watching TV or relaxing. No additional equipment or dimmers are needed to use Philips SceneSwitch.
“Our research shows that consumers have strong opinions about the type of light they prefer in their homes and to support particular activities. Yet, three in five people report that they do not know exactly what light bulb best fulfills their needs,” said Nathan Marafioti, LED business lead, North America, Philips Lighting. “Philips SceneSwitch ultimately takes the guesswork out of choosing the right light with its three settings in the single bulb.”
When it comes to the right light for various tasks, consumers have preferences. For example, more than half of survey respondents like a cool, energizing daylight when cooking (56%) or working/doing homework (53%). A functional, soft white light is desired when reading (44%), whereas a cozy, warm glow is desired for relaxing and winding down to go to bed (47%) and watching television (43%).
With Philips SceneSwitch, consumers can simply place the three color settings-in-one light bulb into their existing fixture and use their light switch on the wall to flick through the scenes. This enables them to quickly and effectively get the desired ambiance for their task. Philips SceneSwitch automatically memorizes the last setting if the switch is turned off for longer than six seconds.
Philips SceneSwitch is available for $8.97 at The Home Depot.
Key survey findings also include:
- 89% of consumers say brightness is important to them when determining which light bulb to buy, with almost half (46%) citing color temperature as an important factor.
- US and Canadian consumers cite dimming (52%), brightness (32%) and color temperature (24%) as the primary reasons for their household disagreements on lighting.
- Not everyone has equal say in home décor decisions, with more women than men (88%vs. 72%) stating that they call the shots.
- Slightly more men than women (31% vs. 26%) say they are confident they will choose the right light bulb in store.
- With age also comes wisdom. 37% of older consumers, aged 65 and older, are more confident in choosing the right light, with only 20% of those 18 to 34 saying this.
About the Research
The survey, executed by independent research firm Vanson Bourne, asked 3,000 people covering all ages, genders and regions across the United States and Canada about their lighting knowledge and buying habits. The study also uncovered consumers’ preferred types of lighting compared to other members of their households and when performing specific activities at home.
Consumers who were already signed up to participate in research were invited to take part in the survey via email. Interviews were conducted online using a rigorous, multi-level screening process to ensure that suitable candidates participated.
About Philips Lighting
Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT) is a global leader in lighting products, systems and services. Our understanding of how lighting positively affects people coupled with our deep technological know-how enable us to deliver digital lighting innovations that unlock new business value, deliver rich user experiences and help to improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we sell more energy efficient LED lighting than any other company. We lead the industry in connected lighting systems and services, leveraging the Internet of Things to take light beyond illumination and transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. In 2015, we had sales of EUR 7.5 billion and have approximately 36,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.newsroom.lighting.philips.com
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