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Product Retrospective: Residential Lighting
Though credited with the invention of the electric light bulb, Thomas Alva Edison did not actually file U.S. Patent 223,898
until January 27, 1880—75 years after the fundamental technology and principles of electric light were developed. Most early
light bulbs were not commercially viable because they did not last very long and were too expensive to produce. Edison's
patent was for an improvement in electric lamps—"giving light by incandescence"—and their method of manufacture.' After
many decades, bulb technology improved significantly and cost decreased. Use in the U.S. began to skyrocket.
The downside to this great American success story is that lighting now uses a great deal of energy—about 12 percent
of residential energy consumption goes to lighting—and much of that energy is converted to wasted heat, not light,
in traditional incandescent bulbs, which work by heating a filament until it becomes hot enough to emit light, only 10
percent of the energy output produces useful light. The good news is that a growing number of consumers are seeking
more efficient ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and light bulbs to illuminate their homes, lower their energy bills and
reduce their carbon footprints.
As with Edison's electric light, much of the growth in more efficient lighting has come through concerted efforts to
improve light quality and increase the longevity of efficient lighting options. As demand has grown, prices have decreased
significantly, offering an attractive payback for consumers. But as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day...
The ENERGY STAR Difference: CFLs
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In the years after CFLs were added to the ENERGY STAR program, an increase in sales led
to economies of scale that lowered product costs and brought the purchase price down
dramatically. Lower prices and improved performance led to the first peak in sales in 2007,
when media attention around the danger of global warming was high. That same year,
Walmart sold 100 million CFLs. Today, ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs represent about a
quarter of all U.S. light bulb shipments.
&EPA
2012

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ENERGY STAR Product Retrospective: Residential Lighting
2
your environment
It's easy to see that ENERGY STAR® I j
qualified fixtures add style to any decor.
But what you can't see is that they help
to beautify our environment by using
less energy and preventing air pollution.	' ...	'
So, vyjien you look to brighten your
home, choose an ENERGY STAR and
Change a Light, Change the World.
HELP PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
MAKE YOUR NEXT LIGHT AN ENERGY STAR.
Products that earn the ENERGY STAR® prevent greenhouse gas emissions by
meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
www.energystar.gov
CHANGE A LIGHT
CHANGE THE WORLD
ENERGY STAR
• A segmented U.S. lighting industry that saw itself as responding to consumer demand, not creating it
• Lack of consumer awareness and education
• Lack of coordination among manufacturers, utilities and retailers
An ENERGY STAR specification for residential light fixtures was introduced in 1997, "bringing a benchmark of lighting
performance and quality as well as a clearly recognizable brand to the marketplace,"8 The goal was to offer consumers an
efficient lighting option with no sacrifice in performance. The initial focus on fixtures was also intended to help address
issues such as fit and aesthetics, so the fixture and bulb could be designed in an integrated way.
Working with utilities and other regional energy efficiency programs that hosted educational and bulb exchange events
around the country, the ENERGY STAR program and its partners achieved early success with torchieres, the tall floor
lamps that direct light upward. Conventional halogen torchieres consumed 300 to 500 watts7 and were a fire hazard8—
some events showcased firemen frying eggs on the heat emitted. Efficient ENERGY STAR qualified torchieres did
not generate significant wasted heat and were much safer. By September 1999, one million ENERGY STAR qualified
torchieres had been sold.9
Like the incandescent bulb, fluorescent
lighting was invented long before it became
commercially viable. General Electric (GE)
bought the patent for fluorescent bulb
technology in 1938 and showcased the
technology and its superior efficiency at the
1939 World's Fair in New York.2 While there
was some uptake of fluorescent lighting in the
commercial sector, due to size, shape, color (the
light appeared green) and other factors, early
fluorescent lighting was not a great match for
most residential applications. The 1970s saw
advancements in light bulb design by several
manufacturers addressing some of the size and
color concerns, and by the late 1980s, utility
companies and other energy efficiency program
sponsors began promoting compact fluorescent
light bulbs (CFLs) to their residential customers
as a way to save energy.
Despite these efforts, light bulb usage had not
changed much by the 1990s. CFLs accounted
for less than one percent of light bulb sales
nationally in 1993.3 Unfortunately, the early-
model CFLs were not quite ready for prime time,
with a host of technical challenges including
bulkiness, low light output, and inconsistent
performance,4 and they were expensive,
averaging $19 each in 1996,B according to some
studies. Other market barriers identified at the
time included:
• Lack of product performance standards to
support efficiency claims

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ENERGY STAR Product Retrospective: Residential Lighting
3
That same year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a stand-alone ENERGY STAR specification for CFL bulbs,
garnering even greater support from utilities and regional energy efficiency programs given that bulbs were replaced
more frequently than fixtures. Similar to the fixture criteria, this specification set the first benchmark for energy efficiency,
quality and performance in CFLs and required that all products be tested by an accredited laboratory.
Over the years and through numerous revisions, the ENERGY STAR lighting specifications tackled the full range of
performance issues. Limits, now as short as one second, were placed on how long a CFL could take to light up. Sound
rating requirements addressed the hum associated with lighting ballasts. Light quality was approached from every angle,
including how long it takes the bulb to warm up to full brightness and how many hours of life before the light starts
to dim. Another set of requirements helped to ensure that an object illuminated by an ENERGY STAR qualified light
would appear the same as it would if it were lit by a standard bulb. Mercury content was limited. And on top of all that,
a minimum two-year warranty was imposed. Throughout the
process, DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) focused on using strict performance standards, but also on
working with industry and stakeholders to develop entirely new
tests when needed. With each revision to the ENERGY STAR
program requirements, the quality of the products increased and
consumer satisfaction went up.
To help ensure that lighting products associated with the
ENERGY STAR label lived up to these many expectations, a group
of utilities, energy efficiency advocates and market transformation
organizations formed the Program for the Evaluation and Analysis
of Residential Lighting (PEARL). They purchased products from
retail stores and tested the performance of ENERGY STAR
qualified lighting products being promoted in their various service
territories. Performance failures were brought to the attention
of EPA and DOE As a result of this testing, numerous products
were removed from the program and enhancements were made
to the ENERGY STAR lighting requirements. The U.S. government
subsequently initiated its own quality assurance testing for
ENERGY STAR qualified lighting.
Nationally, starting in 2003, the number of CFLs shipped to
retail stores increased to about 50 million per year, and with
that increase manufacturers were able to lower prices. National
retailers also played a role in the success of CFLs when Walmart
pledged to sell 100 million CFLs in 2007. Today, shipments for
CFLs are about 300 million per year; much of the increase in
sales is due to the impact that ENERGY STAR and its partners
have had on product quality and consumer acceptance.
Another important strategy in market transformation was rallying
the market to educate consumers on the substantial benefits
of ENERGY STAR qualified lighting. In the fall of 2001, retailers,
utilities and manufacturers united around the first-ever nationally
coordinated lighting promotion: Change a Light, Change the
World. More than 100 utilities and other program sponsors,
hundreds of retailers, and 25 fixture and bulb manufacturers
participated in the promotion, which generated media interest
that reached millions of prospective purchasers throughout the
country. This nationally coordinated promotion has been the
cornerstone of ENERGY STAR product outreach ever since,
THE 2007
ENERGY STAR
CHANGE A LIGHT BUS TOUR
(ifc	""""Nttni
eiiergvstar.gov *
2007
PI ed ge to ma ke you r next li ght a n ENE RG Y STAR® at en ergystar.gov/cha ng ea li ght a n.d j oi n a g ro wi ng n urn bar of peo pi e
doing frieir part to preserve energy resources and help reduce tie nsksofglo bal climate change. It's a small step that
will.make.a. big difference for this generation and those to come. Change a Light. Change the World.
ENER6YSTAR is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.
Don't just replace a light.
Shine.

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ENERGY STAR Product Retrospective: Residential Lighting
4
eventually transitioning to the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR campaign in 2008 to include additional
ENERGY STAR product categories and promotion of energy-saving behaviors.
Today satisfaction with CFLs is no longer a big concern, with national surveys finding more than 80 percent of consumers
"satisfied" or "very satisfied" with CFL performance.10 Household penetration is also on the rise. In 2009, 68 million
households (60 percent) had at least some energy-efficient compact fluorescent or LED lights.11 Savings from ENERGY
STAR qualified CFLs and fixtures are expected to reach 66 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year in 2012, reducing annual
electric bills by $6.4 billion and greenhouse gas emissions by 46 million metric tons.12
DOE introduced an ENERGY STAR specification for LED bulbs in 2010, following the earlier pattern of setting high
performance criteria. As efficient lighting choices expand, the ENERGY STAR program remains committed to quality
and to ensuring that products meet consumer expectations. A recent Consumer Reports article on CFL and LED bulbs
found that problems with earlier versions have been overcome and that today's light bulbs "last longer and use far less
electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. Shoppers now have a variety of bulbs to match their needs."13 Consumer
Reports also stated that "ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs meet high standards for brightness, color, and energy use."14
Their buying advice: choose ENERGY STAR.
ENDNOTES
1	U.S. Patent Office.T.A. Edison. Electric-Lamp. No. 223,898, Patented January 27, 1880.
2	Bright, A., and Maclaurin, R. (1943, October) Economic Factors Influencing the Development and Introduction of the Fluorescent Lamp. The Journal of
Political Economy, 51(5), 434-439.
3	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (2006). Compact Fluorescent Lighting in America: Lessons Learned on the Way to Market (PNNL-15730). Prepared
for U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program, p.3.8. Retrieved from http://apps1.
eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/cfl_lessons_learned_web.pdf.
4	Ibid., p. 1.1.
6 Ibid., p. 2.2.
6	Ibid., p. B.1.
7	Siminovitch, M., Marr, L., Mitchell, J., and Page, E. (1997). Energy-Efficient Alternative to HalogenTorchieres (LBNL-40243 Preprint). Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory. Presented at the IESNA 1997 Annual Conference, August 17-20. Seattle, WA. Retrieved from http://gaia.lbl.gov/btech/papers/40243.pdf.
8	Lighting Research Center, National Lighting Product Information Program. (2000). Halogen Torchieres Q & A. Lighting Answers, 9(3). Retrieved from
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightinganswers/ halogentorchiers/quest_two.asp.
9	Pacific Northwest Laboratory, p. B.1.
10	U.S. Department of Energy. (2010, September). ENERGY STAR CFL Market Profile: Data Trends and Market Insights. P 26. Retrieved from http://www
.energystar.gov/ia/products/downloads/CFL_Market_ Profile_2010.pdf.
11	U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2011). What's new in our home energy use? From the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS).
Retrieved from http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/ reports/2009overview.cfm.
12	Homan, G., Sanchez, M., and Brown, R. (2010, November). Calendar Year 2009 Program Benefits for ENERGY STAR Labeled Products. Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, University of California, Berkeley, California.
13	Consumer Reports. (2011 .August 30). Consumer Reports Shines a Light on the Best CFL and LED Bulbs. Retrieved from http://pressroom.consumerreports
.org/pressroom/2011/08/crs-first-full-report-on-led-energy-savings-lightbulbs-fi nds-more-choices-and-savings-yonkers-ny-the-days-of-ineff.html.
14	Ibid.

ENERGYSTAR
ENERGY STAR®, a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, helps us all save
money and protect the climate through energy-efficient products and practices. Learn more.
Vi s it www. e n e rgysta r. g ov

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