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Citizens and companies around the world are rapidly choosing compact
fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to replace incandescent light bulbs. Some 397
million CFLs were purchased in the United States in 2007 alone. Other
countries have embraced CFLs for more than a decade, with 80 percent
of Japanese households and 50 percent of German households using them
as early as 1996.
This new snapshot of CFL lighting trends includes detailed figures
on worldwide sales as well as an analysis of the associated
environmental benefits. It reveals that:
- China's production of CFLs tripled from 750 million units in
2001 to 2.4 billion units in 2006. China produces 85 percent of the
world's CFLs.
- A single CFL bulb can save up to $30 in energy costs in the
United States over its lifetime; savings can be even greater where
electricity costs are higher.
- Substituting incandescent bulbs with CFLs could reduce global
lighting energy demand by nearly 40 percent by 2030, offsetting a
cumulative total of 16.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide.
Lighting consumes roughly 19 percent of all electricity produced on
the global grid and is responsible for carbon emissions equal to those
produced by half of the light passenger vehicles in the world. This
article explains why CFLs, despite their trace mercury content, are
truly a "greener" source of light, and outlines what the next
revolution in lighting may be.
Read the Vital Signs Update:
Strong Growth in Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Reduces Electricity Demand |
