THE GOODS : A Bright Outlook : New Labeling Could Put Fluorescents in the Limelight and Dim the 100-Watt Bulb
Question: How many environmentalists does it take to change a compact fluorescent light bulb?
Answer: Only one, but he or she will have to wait around for seven years.
Although hardly anyone knows it yet, American consumers are about to change the way they buy household light bulbs and, in the process, boost the long-life compact fluorescent bulb from the fringe into the mainstream.
The catalyst is new light bulb labeling, which has had lighting manufacturers scrambling for months and is now starting to show up on retail shelves. Some experts predict that the new labels, which expand the basic description of light bulbs, will make the standard 100-watt, pear-shaped incandescent bulb a dinosaur.
“Consumers are going to get a whole new world of ways to look at lighting, and probably ways that are more appropriate,” says Fred Nicholson, spokesman for the National Electrical Manufacturers Assn.
“People will have to learn to read the labels,” says Doug Pratt, technical products developer at the Real Goods Catalog Co. in Ukiah, Calif. “And what they’re going to learn is that compact fluorescents use one-fourth the energy and last up to 13 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.”
Saving energy is the impetus for the new labeling law, part of the 1992 Energy Policy Act (a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s energy use).
The goal is consumer education, says Federal Trade Commission attorney Kent Howerton. “Most people think of wattage as the measure of light you get, but that is not correct. The amount of light given off is called lumens. Wattage is essentially a measure of electricity used to operate the bulb.”
To educate the consumer about this, the labeling law requires that all light bulb packages disclose, in a uniform manner and in equal typeface size, the bulb’s light output expressed in lumens, the energy used expressed in watts and the life of the bulb expressed in hours.
In addition, the act requires that light bulb packages contain the statement: “To save energy costs, find the bulb with the light output you need, then choose the one with the lowest watts.”
The thinking is that consumers will eventually learn that a compact fluorescent bulb will return its $20 to $30 cost and save an additional $30 to $75 on electric bills over its life.
But reading light bulb labels may not be a priority for most consumers. Americans bought 1.5 billion incandescent light bulbs last year, and surveys show the average shopper barely pauses before tossing a package of 100-watt bulbs into the supermarket shopping cart.
“There is a mind-set about buying a 100-watt bulb that is very hard to change,” Howerton says. “But once people understand this can have an impact on their pocketbooks, they’ll start to look at what is important. And if you can save 3 to 5% on your electric bill by using more efficient light bulbs, it is in our national interest.”
Shoppers who do start reading the labels will be pleased to learn that a new generation of compact fluorescents is arriving on the scene.
“The new designs are smaller and more powerful and will more readily fit as a replacement for regular incandescents,” Pratt says.
The compact fluorescent, which appeared on the market about 10 years ago, started gaining appeal around Earth Day, 1990. Despite such drawbacks as ungainly large shapes, strange bluish-color and delayed light-up time, its environmental virtues glow when compared to an energy-wasting incandescent bulb that hasn’t changed much since Thomas Edison, he says.
“The incandescent works by heating a wire to the point where it glows, which means that 90% of the power you feed the bulb gets lost as heat and only 10% comes back as visible spectrum. It’s a great little heater, but lousy as a light source.”
In contrast, the fluorescent tube, which runs a current through the white powder that coats the tube, uses 80% of the power to produce light, with only 20% wasted as heat.
“Incandescents only make sense in really tiny light fixtures,” Pratt says, repeating a Real Goods slogan: “If every household used just one compact fluorescent, we’d save enough energy to eliminate one Chernobyl-sized nuclear power plant.”
Industry representatives emphasize that the high cost of fluorescent bulbs will go down and that the technology is improving.
“If people haven’t been keeping up with changes in lighting, they have some pleasant surprises,” says Lester LeDay, a consultant at Southern California Edison’s Electric Solution Center. Customers attending the center’s workshops on selecting light sources are always amazed at the choices, he says. “Lighting technology is changing every day.”
Leading the field is giant Philips Lighting, which got a toehold with compact fluorescents in the European market. The company’s new Earth Light collection features a different bulb for each location in the home, including a 15-watt, triple-tube design (the most interchangeable with the standard incandescent) that “takes technology into the 21st Century,” Pratt says.
“We have a lead because we invented the category,” says Steve Goldmacher of Philips. “We are trying to close the gap in size and color and get the price down. Now it’s just a question of acceptance on the part of the consumer.”
Osram Sylvania Inc. introduced the new labels in January. “It’s a major thing for us, and it should be a major thing for consumers, too,” says Peter Bleasby, director of industry relations and standards. “Our focus groups show that it takes a consumer about three seconds to decide what light bulb they want to buy, so it won’t be an overnight thing. We have jokingly said it will take a generation and the kids will drive the change.”
At General Electric Lighting, which has launched TV commercials for compact fluorescents, Joe Howley predicts a “slow transition” because of the price difference and the unfamiliarity of fluorescents.
“But we’re seeing more and more acceptance,” he says. “It’s an evolving market with constant improvements.”
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Philips Compact Fluorescent Earthlight SLS:
Average retail price: $15 to $17 per bulb Light output: 900 lumens Energy used: 15 watts Life: 10,000 hours. Philips 60-watt Incandescent:
Philips 60-watt Incandescent:
Average retail price: $2.99 per four-pack Light output: 860 lumens Energy used: 60 watts Life: 1,000 hours
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Advantages
* Lasts up to seven years in normal (three to four hours a day) household use--that’s 10 times longer than a 60-watt soft white incandescent. * Requires less frequent bulb change. * Ideal for hard-to-reach places. * Conserves natural resources by using 75% less electricity than standard bulbs. * Provides stable light output over a broad range of temperatures and in various positions.
Disadvantages
* Usually not stocked in grocery stores (partly because of price). * Cannot be worked with dimmers. * Cannot provide three-way light. * Light comes on instantly but takes about 45 seconds to reach full brightness * Outdoor use requires an enclosed fixture.
