U.S. Sues LED Bulb Maker, Saying Lights Fail to Perform as Promised

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued Lights of America, a manufacturer of LED bulbs, accusing the company of significantly overstating the power and longevity of its lights. The suit is the first federal case challenging the marketing claims of so-called Light Emitting Diode technology, which produces light using semiconductors and is touted as a highly efficient lighting source of the future. After testing LED bulbs made by Lights of America, the FTC said the bulbs “produced significantly less light” than advertised. In one case, the company said its LED bulb had the power of a 40-watt light bulb, which produces 400 lumens of light. But the FTC said the LED bulb only produced 74 lumens. Lights of America also claimed that one of its bulbs would last 30,000 hours, but the FTC said the bulb lost 80 percent of its light output after only 1,000 hours. Lights of America sells its bulbs at major U.S. retailers. Chris Calwell of Ecos, which develops energy efficiency programs for governments and utilities, said the performance of LED bulbs varies widely, with some “absolutely living up to their claims” and others falling far short.