LED makers across the globe have projected that the price of LED lighting products will fall at a significant pace. In addition, the price for 60W retrofit LED light bulbs may fall to US$10/unit, in other words, the ex-factory price of this product will likely fall as low as US$4/unit in 2013, according to a Digitimes report.
Biing-Jye Lee, chairman, Epistar, Taiwan-based LED chipmaker has said that the global output of LED light bulbs in 2012 was only around 100 million units and this figure is expected to reach the 300 to 400 million mark this year.
In the Japan market, the price of such products is around US$15-20/unit, while the same for Philips is around $25/unit, said Lee. In second-half 2013, the retail price of 60W retrofit LED light bulbs may fall to US$10/unit and demand will surge, added Lee.
The brightness of 60W retrofit LED light bulbs is equivalent to 800 lumens, Lee informed. Taking the cost of LED chips, electrical circuits and other components, for the product price to be lowered to US$10/unit, the ex-factory price needs to fall to around US$4/unit, he added.
According to market research institutes, the global average retail price of 40W retrofit LED light bulbs in December 2012 showed a slight 0.2 per cent increase, reaching US$18.7/unit. On the other hand, the global average retail price of 60W retrofit LED light bulbs in December 2012 was US$30.9/unit, down 3.9 per cent, according to the studies.
Market research institutes also stated that the price fall of 60W retrofit LED light bulbs in the US market was 13.4 per cent in December 2012, the most significant compared to other markets. The overall LED light scenario in India is expected to transform rapidly in the next two to three years also. According to Philips, the price of LED bulbs could come down by Rs 250 by 2015.
