Wal-Mart Aims To Sell 100 Million Compact Fluorescents In One Year
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 08.29.06
Fast Company reports that, in the next 12 months, starting with a major push this month, Wal-Mart wants to sell every one of its regular customers--100 million in all--one compact fluorescent bulb. In the process, it may change energy consumption in the United States, and energy consciousness, too. Teaming up with General Electric, which owns about 60% of the residential lightbulb market in the United States, Wal-Mart wants to single-handedly double U.S. sales for CFLs in a year, and it wants demand to surge forward after that.
Diane Lindsley, the hardware buyer who decides what goes in the lightbulb aisles at Wal-Mart, thinks 100 million swirls is perfectly reasonable. "Yes," she says, "it's rational, I think." Before she started buying bulbs for Wal-Mart just three years ago, Lindsley didn't even know what CFLs were. Now she pauses in a way that suggests the kind of determination Wal-Mart can bring to bear when its buyers decide they are going to sell Americans something. "We have plans in place to where it may not take that long."
Which presents a daunting challenge: Wal-Mart's push into swirls won't just help consumers and the environment; it will shatter a business--its own lightbulb business, and that of every lightbulb manufacturer. Because swirls last so long, every one that's sold represents the loss of 6 or 8 or 10 incandescent bulb sales. Swirls will remake the lightbulb industry--dominated by familiar names GE, Philips, Sylvania--the way digital-music downloads have remade selling albums on CD, the way digital cameras revolutionized selling film and envelopes of snapshots. CFLs are a classic example of creative destruction.
GE, facing the prospect of mothballing a centurylong franchise in lightbulbs--well, GE is smiling and swallowing hard. "CFLs are taking off," says Robert Stuart, who heads consumer marketing at GE for lightbulbs. "No one has been as vocal about this recently as Wal-Mart. One hundred million bulbs in a year? It's an aggressive goal. GE will find a way to make sure they are able to do that."
GE, too, has launched a green business initiative: ecomagination, an effort to make environmentally sustainable technologies an ever-larger part of GE's business. Swirls fit well, despite the inevitable cannibalization. "The real issue is, if we don't do it, someone else will," says GE's ecomagination vice president, Lorraine Bolsinger, of Wal-Mart's effort to push CFLs. "It's old thinking to imagine that you can hold on to a business model and outsmart the consumer. You can't."
The impact of compact fluorescents cascades outward. Since every CFL has the life span of 6, or 8, or 10 equivalent incandescent bulbs, if Wal-Mart alone sells 100 million swirls in the next year, it does away with the need for 100 million old-fashioned bulbs to be manufactured, packaged, shipped, bought, and discarded next year--and every year until 2012 or beyond.
Via: Fast Company
First step- Stop selling _all_ incandescent lightbulbs.
I'm very, very glad they're doing this.
I still won't shop there, however, nor do I want any Wal-Marts near me in NYC until Wal-Mart freely allows their employees to unionize and stops bullying their suppliers.
But good for them on this front, anyway.
Having over 80% of the light sources in my house either regular fluorescent or CFLs I can say that the CFLs that Wal-Mart is selling do not last nearly as long as the ones I have purchased from other sources (namely Home Depot). They seem to last only twice as long as a standard bulb.
Though I applaud Wal-Mart in their push to increase CFL usage I hope their sale of low quality CFLs do not push people away from them.
Even the Home Depot ones (Consumer Electric) are crappy. I've taken to keeping the clam shell packages so that when they blow, I can return them. As they are supposed to last 7 years, this works without any problem. But I just assume the darn things lasted as long as they say they do.
The CFLs sold at Ikea seem to have pretty good lifespans, and they have a good variety of sizes & wattage.
Agree,
GE may have a huge market share of bulbs bot NOT cfl's.
GE CFL's overheat and do not last. Also, WalMart charges to much for them.
Home Depot regularly has 6 60w equivalents for $10 less than $2 a bulb and you can return then (with packaging) if they don't last.
Lowes also has good bulbs at reasonable prices.
It is probably your electric lines not deliverying clean energy to the bulbs and blowing them. That's what my house does. It's not the bulbs.
Yeah, I have a real problem with all the claims of long life of CFLs and flourescents in general. The government or consumer reports need to test these bulbs and make sure the claims are validated. I had to replace the ballast in my kitchen lighting fixture before it was two years old.
Here is a good rule to go by. If a particular outlet blew a CFL "don't replace it with a CFL" unless you fix the wiring. There are 2 outlets in my house that don't have a bulb in them for this reason (too lazy to fix them) a third one I fixed the loose wiring and no more problems. Someone should come up with a skrew in tester to see if the line is good.
Now how about Walmart, Home Depot and the rest of the big box stores add CFL recycling station. Ikea is one of the only places I know where you can take dead ones. (I mean of course the ones that died of "natural causes" and not "infant mortality")
I don't think I'll be buying anymore this year. And it is not because I love to hate Wal- Mart. They have been sticking these bulbs in front of my nose at 74 cents each on and off for the past year which makes it very hard not to buy them. I'm well stocked. . Now, about their claim of saving 30% enregy. Keep a close eye on this America. We may learn something of extreme value here.
J. C., Sr.
Here's what will happen: The customer will go home, put it into their fixture, turn down the lights for a romantic dinner, and promptly blow the bulb.
Then they'll return it to Wal*Mart, buy a "normal" bulb, and eschew CF bulbs entirely, because they "don't work right."
Here's a thought: Instead of selling the CFLs of dubious quality, Wal-Mart could offer a lightbulb exchange program. Bring in an incandescent bulb and get a CFL in return. That is, if W-M were genuine in its desire to "save $800 million in annual energy costs and 8.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity" and to create the air pollution reduction equivalent of "removing 1.2 million cars from the road for a year."
as stated above these lightbulbs last less longer than claimed and then who's going to make sure wal mart shoppers take them to the toxic waste disposal site because of the mercury they contain????
I think we'll see an increase in mercury pollution. For wal mart consumers to really make a difference they should be given free condoms and other birth control education.
I only started using CFLs a year ago and haven't had any problems but I just moved to a new apartment. How can I tell if a socket or outlet is likely to blow my CFL without ruining one in the process?
Before you buy anymore cf bulbs take one apart by prying off the plastic housing. You may be surprised to find more than you bargained for
The lifetime of a CFL is directly proportional to the number of times it has been turned on to the length that it was left on. It is a flourescent bulb, meant to stay on efficiently for long amounts of time, not flipped on and off (I learned this the hard way). Yay CFLs, boo incandescents.
It is not like they are expensive and most are rated for 3-4 times longer than an incandescent. There is a hell of a lot of whining going on here. I know a majority of my wiring is bad, it's over 50 years old in some parts. I never thought about disposal before.
In my experience, CFLs work well in certain situations, and not others. Specifically, they don't work well when switched on and off repeatedly, such as in hallways. They also don't like humidity like in bathrooms (and they definitely shouldn't be used outside unless they're made specifically for outside use). Also, as someone already mentioned, they can't be used with standard dimmers.
That still leaves a lot of places where they work well, such as in bedrooms and living rooms, etc. I also like that they run a lot cooler than standard bulbs, so I'm less worried about fire risks in paper lamps or torchiere style floor lamps. As for the places were they still don't work well, I hope LED lightbulbs will be available at reasonable prices within a couple of years.
"if every one of 110 million American households bought just one [CFL], took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads."
http://www.fastcompany.com/subscr/108/open_lightbulbs.html
CFLs seem fine in terms of energy usage, but what about color tone? I am surrounded by blue-white fluorescent light at work all day and I enjoy coming home to a bright but warm halogen or incandescent light. Is anybody making CFLs with alternate tones? Is that even possible?
How about the light thrown off by CFLs? How does it compare to the Reveal incandescent bulbs from GE? My wife and I switched to those bulbs and LOVE them, especially during the winter.
I've got a home full of juice sucking bulbs I'd love to switch, but almost every one of them is on a dimmer.
I'm ready to pay a premium for dimmer CF bulbs, but I can't even find them for sale through major online retailers like Amazon.
Don't worry light bulb sellers, I won't be wasting my money on these stupid bulbs. They don't light as well as a good old fashioned light bulbs. Treehuggers be damned.
I've started using CFLs. Haven't had to replace one yet, so no idea how long they might last. Regular light bulbs weren't lasting but a few months.
I much prefer the "warm" (yellow) versions, but the only source I've found runs about $8/bulb. Is that expensive?
Also planning on replacing many light switches for many rooms with motion sensor switches, and all outdoor lights with X.10 networked switches and program scheduling.
I have to agree with jiltedcitizen. The problem is probably your building wiring or local utility supply. I have had CFL bulbs (some from Wal-Mart) for as long as eight years. They also don't last long in enclosed fixtures. I have to say I'm a little disappointed by all the vitriol toward WalMart's efforts to head in a greener direction. The way to encourage change isn't to bash what someone isn't doing, but to praise what they are doing. Who of you out there could be doing more, using less than you are?
Dimmable CFLs: http://bulbs.com/products/product.asp?page=products&class=871
I've been using CFLs for, well, about four years now? Maybe five.
In most cases, they do last far FAR longer than incandescents, but every now and then you'll pick up a dud. So I try to remind myself to save the packaging, but it is hard to do in practice. (Usually I'd end up buying a new bulb of the same time, and putting the old bulb into that package, and exchanging.) But life is far longer. NOTE: The bulbs live a shorter life in a totally vacuum-tight space.
Color spectrum differences don't seem to be an issue. All of the ones I've gotten are warm. I suppose I could find cool colors if I search for them, but the warms match incandescents well.
A few of mine, especially towards the beginning years ago, were not instant-on. Make sure you buy bulbs that say that are instant-on, or there will be a small delay between turning on the switch and the bulbs coming on, which is a bit disconcerting.
I haven't had a good experience with dimmables yet, and it is too bad, because I'm eating up to 120 watts over my dining room table with old bulbs I can't replace.
Slightly noticeable is how the bulbs will take a few minutes to get to 100% intensity. Seems to matter in the bathroom more than anywhere else, but I think I'm the only one who notices.
My house is probably 90% CFL at this point. The remaining lights are true fluorescent, and then I have those dining room incandescents because I need the dimming.
Old fashioned fluorescents are probably out the door because they're so inconvenient, and their size and number makes them suck down energy.
I've also been using CFLs for a while -- since 2000 -- and not one has yet died. I don't know anything about the quality of Wal-Mart or GE bulbs, but if they're sold at competitive prices, they'll offer a net $ savings when you compare lifetime energy cost saved to purchase price, even if they only do last two or three times as long. If they last the more typical 6-10 times as long, it's a no-brainer.
As for color quality, they're livable, and I've come to prefer them. It was mentioned earlier that CFL lifetimes are related to the frequency of switching on-off, but some analyses have suggested that you get a net energy (and cost) savings by switching the bulb off whenever you don't need it, even if only for a minute or so (just like incandescents). So don't waste energy out of a misguided desire to extend your $3 bulb's operating life.
Downsides: I've known some people who are sensitive to the high-pitched buzzing (inaudible to most people). Also, older bulbs had a tendency to interfere with radio reception. Last, the dimmer CFLs work, but I've never seen one with a really smooth dimming curve.
Overall, I hope Wal-Mart is successful in changing this industry and Americans' lighting habits. Maybe they can do something about non-rechargeable batteries next.
they flicker :(
The math in the article seems to have a mistake in it... 100 million CFLs taking the place of that many incandescents doesn't stop 100 million incandescent bulbs from being manufactured, packaged, sold and discarded... since the CFL's last "6, 8 or 10 times the life of an incandescent", you are looking at a figure between 600 million and an odd billion.
If replacing my light bulb helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil, why not? Who cares who makes them and who sells them? Everyone will start selling them more aggressively if demand increases.
Thnaks for the dimmable bulb info. I didn't know there was such a thing. And I don't know if it says it on the package. But I learned the hard expensive way. Looks like I'll be swapping them out for incandescents until I can jsutify the high cost of the dimmable ones.
--
editor note: If you consider the electricity costs and factor in the extra-longevity of CFLs, I think even the dimmable ones are cheaper than incandescents.
So what about all those lamps where the lampshade clamped onto the lightbulb :)
Secondary effects...
"So what about all those lamps where the lampshade clamped onto the lightbulb :)"
You can get CFLs that have a round shape like incandescent bulbs.
"If replacing my light bulb helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil, why not? Who cares who makes them and who sells them? Everyone will start selling them more aggressively if demand increases."
Err what does light bulbs have to do with foreign oil? If anything coal is generating the energy for your bulbs.
Anyway what about those long lasting halogen bulbs? I don't think they are more efficient than an incandescent, but they last a lot longer and are bright. I have 2 in my bathroom going on 2 years now.
This is a good move, and nationally it will save a lot of energy if a significant percentage of incandecent bulbs are replaced. BUT NOTE, we are really entering the swan-song for CFLs too. Within 5 years LED replacements for typical home bulbs will sweep the stage. Consider, LEDs are much cheaper and simpler to make than CFLs, instant on, better color, no flicker, and will last the life of the house !
If the halogens last longer and use more energy that balance out to using a plain old incandescent bulb doesn't it.
That's what I'm asking does anyone know any data on them? Maybe in 5 years. 70 LEDS = the light of a 15-20 watt bulb? Seems kinda low.
http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/product/G32-120-E27-70-W
I thought that LED lights were the future.
(although horrendously expensive at this time)
Does anyone know what the power comparisons are LED vs Fluorescents?
We just started buying CFLs when we purchased our new house. They work great.
One, halogen lamps are more roughly 20% more efficient than the typical incandescent lamp and halogens last about 2 to 4 times longer, but they cost substantially more than incandescents. Halogens do have a slightly higher CRI right at 100 (color rendering index) which means that Halogens are the best source of light for rendering true colors. They are almost used as a standard in museums to illuminate artwork. GE Reveal lamps use neodymium to filter out some of the yellow output of the lamp to allow for a brighter more white light at a slight cost to efficiency.
CFL's operate with a CRI of 80 out of 100 which is slightly below the median range of traditional fluorescent lamps which are in the mid-80's. This means most CFL's or fluorescent lamps can show colors well, but not super great. Both types of fluorescent produce sharp peaks of light in the color spectrum which overall appear as a form of white light. Incandescent in contrast, produces a more even band of radiation emission in the visual spectum. This difference causes fluorescents to show some colors well, but no fluorescent will render all colors well all the time. It depends on if you use a cool white (color temp above 5000K), warm white (below 3000K) or other color temperature. Different color temperatures may appear to have different luminance intensity levels and may appear to make spaces brighter or dimmer even though the same amount of luminous energy is being produced and emitted by the light fixture.
For the question of whether this is good or not, of course it is. Just don't use CFL's in spaces that experience frequent switching. This will make the lamp life end prematurely and CFL's take much longer to achieve full operating light levels, usually 3 to 5 minutes, which may not work in most bathrooms, as I have found out.
CFL's aren't as efficient as traditional fluorescents, but are still about 3-4 times more efficient than incandescents, I think a 20W CFL is more comparable to a 60W incan rather than a 15W CFL.
Dimming CFL's are available commercially, but probably less likely on the residential market. They will not work with incandescent dimmers. Dimming CFL's are most commonly not screw-in, but have pin-based lamp bases. Dimming CFL's regardless are much more expensive.
CFL's of course contain mercury, but with such trace amounts that they probably offset the pollution used to power them. More efforts should be made to recycle CFL's, but currently they make up a small fraction of the residential market. The recycling of commercial fluorescent lamps (a much bigger market than residential lighting) is a mature industry even though it doesn't have a 100% recycling rate either.
LED's are hitting the ground running. As someone mentioned, they are being produced right now with a screw-in type base and may become mainstream within a few years. LED's have exceptionally high life (around 50,000 hours for white LED's) and are about as efficient as fluorescent lamps. However, LED's still require work on their CRI or ability to render colors accurately. Also, work is still being done to enhance the ability of the LED to focus its light in a direction that is useful. LED light is currently very diffuse. Time will be required to establish a manufacturing base to economically mass produce LED lamps for use in a common residential light fixture.
Hope this helps someone.
"Does anyone know what the power comparisons are LED vs Fluorescents?"
Unless I'm misremembering, LEDs are less efficient than CFLs at this time, but they are expected to become more efficient.
It can be kind of a moot point if you need them for directional light, though, since LEDs are more easily focused in a particular direction.
Their main benefit is that they are incredibly durable.
LED consumer very little energy, they are just not as bright as CFL and incandesants. Look the he specs on these lights
http://autolumination.com/home.htm
I also found a 72 led screw in bulb and it said it was about the same as a 20 watt bulb. Anyone have dirct lumen comparisons?
Why are we spending so much effort replacing light bulbs when our 150 watt computers are running full steam ahead for hours on end? We're talking about saving 37 watts of electricity (23 watt CFL = 60 watt regular). You would have to run a CFL bulb non-stop for 27 hours to save 1 kilowatt hour. One kilowatt hour (delivered) costs around 10 cents. If you were a business that was opened 24/7, you would save a whopping 65 cents per bulb per week.
It will take the average home user 6 months to one year of daily use to merely repay the premium of these CFL bulbs. Why not focus on our energy hungry computers, our heated dishwashers, our electric clothes dryers, and our kilowatt thirsty air conditioners before worrying about saving a few dozen watts?
Think about it: WalMart would only want to sell 100 million of something that had a perky profit margin. Do you honestly believe it costs $2 - $3 per bulb to mass manufacture these?
Michael Smith, my answer to your comment would be:
1) We can do more than one thing at once.
2) Obsolete incandescent bulbs (they should be called "heating bulbs" instead of "light bulbs") are a low hanging fruit. They are easy to change, inexpensive and the aggregate of those 100 million bulbs is an enormous amount of energy that is currently being wasted.