The EPA said on Tuesday that the number of Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) sold in 2007 was more than twice the amount sold in 2006. The Energy Star qualified CFL share of the lighting market rose to 20 percent in 2007, according to the agency, from 11 percent in 2006 and a mere 5 percent at the start of the decade.
A large part of the growth can be attributed to the efforts of big-box retail Energy Star partners educating consumers and making CFLs readily available. Consumers are now willing to pay more upfront knowing they will save money and energy in the long term, a mentality that will pave the way for the sale of LEDs, which last even longer and use less energy than CFLs. Currently GE and Philips are in race to get LEDs to the North American market.
The EPA uses market data from 2007 to highlight the success of the Energy Star program, which it runs with the DOE. The release is quick to laud the growth in CFL sales as part of the President’s vision: “Americans are increasing energy efficiency and furthering the President’s vision to increase the advanced technologies that will help meet the nation’s growing demand for energy,” DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman said in the statement. Are CFLs still an “advanced technology” in 2008, “Energy Star qualified” or otherwise? Not so much.
LEDs, on the other hand, are cutting edge. A recent breakthrough from the University of Glasgow might bring LEDs into the home in as little as three years. An obstacle to manufacturing LEDs for residential use has been how to allow adequate light to escape from inside the LED, as punching tiny holes in LEDs is both a time- and money-consuming process. Researchers in Glasgow, however, say that using nano-imprint lithography to directly imprint the holes can greatly reduce costs.
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