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GE's Hybrid Lightbulb Is Instant-On

by Amar Toor on October 22, 2010 at 10:06 AM

GE hybrid lightbulb
Your hybrid car should help reduce your carbon footprint, but what about all the energy you waste when you come home and turn on the lights? Apparently, GE's new hybrid lightbulb can help control your energy usage, without sacrificing your late-night lighting.

As Engadget explains, GE's forthcoming product is essentially two lightbulbs in one. At first glance, it looks like any other compact fluorescent (CFL) bulb. Nestled inside, though, is a tiny halogen capsule. The bulb's halogen component powers on immediately after you flip the switch, but eventually fades away as the longer-lasting, more energy-efficient CFL unit kicks in to gear. According to GE, the new bulb can last eight times longer than most incandescent lightbulbs, and uses what the company calls "an exceptionally low" amount of mercury.

That sounds exciting, but GE has yet to mention how much the bulb will cost. The company also says the bulb will hit the market sometime in 2011, but hasn't offered a more specific release date. We'll probably have to wait a few months to try it out, then, but the concept, at least, sounds intriguing.

Tags: cfl, CFL bulbs, CflBulbs, Energy, energy efficient, EnergyEfficient, GE, green, HaloGen, hybrid, light, lightbulb, lighting, Mercury, top

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