The 2007 sales of ENERGY STAR® compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) have nearly doubled since 2006, according to the estimations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2007, 290 million CFLs were sold, and the special energy-saving bulbs now account for approximately 20% of the American light bulb market. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use approximately 75% less energy and last up to ten times longer than traditional bulbs.
The sale of CFLs has been on the rise since 2006, when their market share jumped from 5% to almost 11%. DOE and EPA have also been working to promote the sales of CFLs throughout 2007 with their “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign, which encourages Americans across the country to sign a pledge to change at least 1 bulb in their house to an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL. The campaign has gathered over 1 million pledges so far. See the Change a Light, Change the World Pledge on the ENERGY STAR Web site.
An ENERGY STAR CFL can save about $30 or more in energy costs over the length of its lifetime. It is predicted that if every U.S. household replaced just one light bulb in their homes with a CFL, the United States would save more than $600 million each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars. See the ENERGY STAR Web site.
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