The Site > General discussion

AJC - Some may be in dark about bulb change

(1/1)

rjluna2:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010
Page A5

Some may be in dark about bulb change

Law will phase out incandescents.

Stores prepare for 2012 shift to energy-effcient alternatives.

By Rachel Tobin Ramos

   If consumers haven't begun buying newfangled and more effcient light bulbs yet, they soon won't have any other choice.
   A federal law passed in 2007 will slowly dim out the all-purpose incandescent as we know it, requiring more energy effcient bulbs starting in 2012.
   And by 2014, the incandescent light bulb as created by Thomas Edison in 1879 will be all but banned for most uses.
   The goal is to reduce energy usage by U.S. households.  The United States is following in the footsteps of the European Union and Australia, which already have implemented tougher light bulb standards.
   The incandescent bulb, intrinsic to modern life, also is highly inefficent.  It generates about 90 percent heat and 10 percent light from the energy it uses.
   But if counsumers are looking dimly on the phase-out, it's also a logistical issue for retailers like Atlanta-based Home Depot.
   "It is going to be a huge shift," said Jorge Fernandez, Home Depot's lighting buyer.
   He said he's already planning now for 2012, as it takes several years of preparation to be suyre manufacturers can supply what his 2,000 U.S. stores will need.  Most of Home Depot's light bulb suppliers are in China, he said.
   A big section of Home Depot's light bulb aisle already is dedicated to high-effiency bulbs, mainly compact fluorescents, known as CFLs.  They come in a variety of watt equivalents and light hues, from soft light to a bright daylight.
   Lowe's has similar aisle.

Lights continued on A7

[picture]
Xeric Suggs, senior quality engineer, explains the advantages of energy-efficient light bulbs to a customer at a Home Depot store in Smyrna.  Federal Legislation requires a change to bulbs such as compact fluorescents or light-emitting diodes.  Hyosub Shin

rjluna2:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010
Page A7

Old bulbs will be dropped

Lights
continued from A5

Target, Kroger and Publix give bulbs much lass shelf space but complete in the segment nonetheless.
   On a recent day, on shopper at an Atlanta Lowe's store said she had several concerns about the light bulb switch.  The high price of CFLs was one problem.
   Her eyes grew wide at the $10.98 price tag on a two pack of CFL bulbs.  She didn't buy them.
   She also bristled at the fact these supposedly more environmentally friendly bulbs contain mercury.  (Home Depot will take the CFL bulbs back at their stores for recycling, but it's still a sticking point for some shoppers.)
   The customer also complained about the poor light quality of CFLs.
   For this story, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution purchased 13 kinds of CFL bulbs at three retailers.  All the bulbs were equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent bulb in light output.
   Only one - the Philips EnergySaver Automatic On/Off light that sells for $9.97 at Home Depot - had a pleasing light color similar to a 60-watt incandescent.
   The rest were either too harsh, with strong blue or green hues, or too yellow, with light that seems dirty.
   Most of the CFLs, from brands such as GE from Kroger, Bright Effects from Lowe's or N:Vision from Home Depot, also took time to warm up.
   Such issues with CFLs are leading retailers to encourage innovation among suppliers.
   For Fernandez, who wants Home Depot to be well-positioned by 2012 with consumer-pleasing bulbs, the race is on to find new and affordable technologies that will duplicate the light quality of incandescent bulbs.
   Fernandez is closely watching technology companies that are experimenting with light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
   "I think LED lights are going to knock people's socks off.  But they are too expensive," he said.  "We're working to drive the price down."
   On a recent day, Home Depot stocked two kinds of LED lamps by Philips.  Both floodlights use 15 watts of electricity.  One sold for $49.97 and the other for $69.97.
   Of course, the argument for CFLs and LEDs is make up for their price by using less energy and lasting longer than incandescent bulbs.
   Fernandez explains that LEDs are a next-generation technology that could satisfy consumers' desire for a softer light

"I think LED lights are going to knock people's socks off.  But they are too expensive."

Jorge Fernandez
Home Depot's lighting buyer

and they don't contain mercury like CFLs.  But they cost is prohibitive, he concedes.
   Lowe's also recently rolled out a 40-watt LED bulb for $29.98 by Sylvania, according to spokeswoman Abby Buford.  She said Lowe's is "working very closely with vendors like Sylvania" on innovative bulbs.
   But 2009 wasn't the year for a lot of high-priced additions to the market.  Sales of CFL bulbs plunged last year, said Fernandez, as customers traded down from higher- to lower-priced bulbs.  Fernandez expects bulbs sales at Home Depot to be "close to flat" for the year but down nationally.
   The cheapest CFL lights purchased by the AJC for this story came from Kroger, where they were on sale with a Kroger Plus Card for as low as $2.  Most of the others, however, rang in at $3.50 or more.
   Incandescent bulbs can be purchased for a fraction of the cost.  A four-pack of 100-watt bulbs sells for as little as 85 cents at Publix.
   Retailers also are looking for innovative incandescent bulbs that meet the tougher energy standards.  One expample is the Philips Halogena Energy Saver sold by Home Depot, Fernandez said.  It's about 30 percent more efficient than a regular incandescent.
   Still, Lowe's Buford worries that consumers are unaware the shift is coming.
   She cited a study that light-maker Osram Sylvania released Dec. 16 showing that the vast majority of consumers don't know about the impending phase-out of incandent bulbs.
   Craig Updyke is government relations manager for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group based in Rosslyn, Va.
   His group helped mold the light bulb bill that passed, but he said not much has been done by government agencies to publicize the changes.
   He predicts that could be a consumer backlash similar to the one that delayed the implementation of digital television signals, as well as a run on the old incandescent lights.
   "I think there will be people stockpiling these bulbs," Updyke said.

[picture]
Compact Fluorescents are more efficient than incandescents, but some consumers balk at their price and quality of light.  Retailers are pushing for a new innovations ahead of the 2012 phase-out.
Hyosub Shin

Jace the Gull:
CFL fires should be mentioned!

Navigation

[0] Message Index