The shape of lights to come? Not everyone’s buying it

Their spiral design is a symbol of “going green,” the movement to make homes and living more energy-efficient. And sales of compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, are booming: They made up 20% of the U.S. light bulb market in 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency says, up from 11% a year earlier.

Sales probably will continue rising as traditional incandescent bulbs begin disappearing from stores because of Congress’ mandate that light bulbs be at least 25% more efficient by 2012. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, IKEA and other major retailers now sell a range of CFLs, which typically use nearly 75% less energy than regular bulbs.


But now that more people are using CFLs, the bulbs’ shortcomings are giving some consumers pause. Consumers are raising concerns about the quality of light from such bulbs and say they often don’t work well with dimmer switches, in certain light fixtures or in hot or cold conditions.

And although fluorescent bulbs are less expensive to use in the long run, some consumers are turned off by the cost: $3 to $10, compared with about 50 cents for regular bulbs. Meanwhile, retailers such as IKEA are setting up recycling programs in response to concerns about how to dispose of CFLs, which contain mercury and could pose a health hazard if they break and are not cleaned up properly.

USA Today