by Jbs120309 b3 — December 9, 2009—The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed new labels for light bulbs that are based on light output rather than energy consumption. That means the days of referring to a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) as being “equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb” may soon be over.
The marketplace has been changing quickly with the emergence of newer, more energy-efficient technologies—such as CFLs and light-emitting diode (LED) products—as traditional incandescent bulbs are phased out, notes FTC. The proposed labels provide consumers with information to help them choose among different bulb types.
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) seeks public comments on new labels that emphasize lumens, not watts, as the measure of bulb brightness. This information, along with estimated energy cost information, would appear on the front of the light bulb package.
The back of the package would display a “Lighting Facts” label modeled after the “Nutrition Facts” label for food packages. The Lighting Facts label would provide information about brightness, energy cost, the bulb’s expected life, color temperature (for example, whether the bulb provides “warm” or “cool” light), as well as wattage.
The label also would require disclosures for bulbs containing mercury. The bulb’s output in lumens, as well as a mercury disclosure for bulbs that contain mercury, would also have to be placed on the bulb itself.
The NOPR was published in the Federal Register (.pdf file) on November 10, along with samples of the proposed labels. Comments are due by December 28, 2009.
