A team of GE scientists, engineers and product managers celebrated earlier this month as the company’s Energy Smart 9-watt LED became the first standard incandescent shaped (A-line) LED bulb to receive an Energy Star rating. As the company’s first general service household LED bulb, the omni-directional light output is meant to replace 40-watt incandescent bulbs in desk, bedside or hallway lamps.

“Our dedicated technologists are constantly pushing to innovate,” said Anh Marella, product manager, GE Lighting. “The Energy Star designation tells consumers this is a bulb that can be expected to perform as promised. It’s a quality and reliability story that’s cause for celebration.”

The bulb provides a soft white light (3,000K) and a 77-percent energy savings compared with a 40-watt incandescent bulb. 

Energy Star tests found that the bulb produced 471 lumens, a light-output measurement that exceeds the 450 lumens required by Energy Star to be considered a 40-watt incandescent replacement. Based on three hours of use per day, the bulb is rated to last more than 22 years, said the company. 

“Some consumers are used to seeing ‘snow cone’ shaped LED incandescent replacements, but none of these bulbs provide the incandescent-like, all-around light that Energy Star requires,” added Marella.

The bulb is available online and will be sold at retail locations alongside the GE Energy Smart LED spotlight and specialty bulbs (e.g., candle and globe shapes) that have been available to consumers for a couple years.