Light bulbs to get new 'nutrition style' labeling

Starting in mid-2011, the Federal Trade Commission announced today, consumers shopping for light bulbs will notice new labeling on packaging designed to help them choose among the different types of bulbs on the market – traditional incandescent bulbs, and newer high-efficiency compact fluorescent (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs.

The new labels will enable consumers to save money by selecting the most efficient bulbs that best fit their lighting needs.

The labeling takes on a similar look to that of the nutrition labels found on food packaging.

The new Lighting Facts labeling, according to the FTC, will enable consumers to “save money by selecting the most efficient bulbs that best fit their lighting needs.”

Emphasized on the packaging will be the bulbs’ brightness as measured in lumens, rather than a measurement of watts. The change is being made because watts are a measurement of of energy use, not brightness. This is said to make it harder for consumers to “compare traditional incandescent bulbs to more efficient bulbs, such as compact fluorescents.” A typical CFL may produce the same level of brightness, but at a fraction of the energy usage of an incandescent.

The FTC said that “the new labels that focus on brightness in lumens will help consumers make purchasing decisions as they transition to more energy-efficient types of bulbs.”

Under the new rule, the back of each package of light bulbs will have a “Lighting Facts” label modeled after the “Nutrition Facts” label that is currently on food packages. The Lighting Facts label will provide information about:

* brightness;
* energy cost;
* the bulb’s life expectancy;
* light appearance (for example, if the bulb provides “warm” or “cool” light);
* wattage (the amount of energy the bulb uses); and
* whether the bulb contains mercury.

The bulb’s brightness, measured in lumens, and a disclosure for bulbs containing mercury, also will be printed on each bulb.