Many consumers are still ignoring the quickest way to lower their utility bills. Swapping out all of your older light bulbs for new light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs can save hundreds of dollars in power costs. And the fact that these bulbs can last up to 25,000 hours means you’re all set for the next decade. This new technology has been a notable success story for Home Depot (NYSE: HD), and its key LED supplier, Cree (Nasdaq: CREE). You would think that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) would also like to have been a major vendor of this cutting-edge, cost-saving lighting technology. But… Read More
Many consumers are still ignoring the quickest way to lower their utility bills. Swapping out all of your older light bulbs for new light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs can save hundreds of dollars in power costs. And the fact that these bulbs can last up to 25,000 hours means you’re all set for the next decade. This new technology has been a notable success story for Home Depot (NYSE: HD), and its key LED supplier, Cree (Nasdaq: CREE). You would think that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) would also like to have been a major vendor of this cutting-edge, cost-saving lighting technology. But the LEDs it sold from many manufacturers have always been a bit too pricey for Wal-Mart’s rank-and-file shoppers. Yet Wal-Mart’s new house-brand line of LEDs changes everything.#-ad_banner-# Wal-Mart’s Great Value LED lights, made by privately held TCP Inc., are priced under $10, which is crucial in two respects. It’s a price point that lures many more consumers to make the change, considering these bulbs can now pay for themselves in terms of power consumption in just two or three years. And it’s a nightmare price point for Cree, which appears hard-pressed to make profits at such a price. At least… Read More