How to read the new information displayed on light bulb packaging from September 2010 onwards European Commission New types of light bulbs – new packaging: What is best for me? The European Union is gradually phasing out old-style incandescent light bulbs and switching to greener lighting. There are now several types of light bulbs available offering different characteristics: LED bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and improved incandescent bulbs. One characteristic of these new types of light bulbs is that they are very energy-efficient. CFLs, for example, use between 65% and 80% less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs. Improved incandescent bulbs work with halogen technology and use 20% to 45% less energy for the same light output, compared to the best conventional incandescent bulbs. Light bulb packaging now carries better product information to help you choose the best solution according to your needs. Manufacturers have created several icons to help you obtain all the information you need, although these icons may differ according to manufacturer, and may be replaced by textual information. This factsheet is designed to help you better understand the basic information provided. The answers to the questions below will help you identify more easily the information you need from the light bulb packaging. Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) How much light do I need? Measuring light performance in terms of watts (W) can be misleading as different types of bulbs nowadays require different wattage levels to produce the same light output(1). For this reason, it is easier to measure the performance of bulb in terms of light quantity: lumens (lm). For example, 1300-1400 lm is the equivalent of an old 100 W incandescent bulb. Bulb packaging will indicate the light output by way of an icon which indicates the number of lumens produced by the bulb. If the quantity of light is particularly important for you and you often need to adjust it using a dimmer, you have to verify if the bulb you are about to buy can be dimmed. A dimming(2) icon printed on every bulb package will indicate if the bulb is dimmable or not. You should always check this icon for CFLs and LEDs, as many of them will not work when operated on standard dimmers. LED Incandescent bulb wattage (W) to lumens (lm) equivalent 100 W g 1300-1400 lm 75 W g 920-970 lm 60 W g 700-750 lm 40 W g 410-430 lm 25 W g 220-230 lm Examples from various manufacturers 1 - light output Am I buying a light bulb to use at work or at home? Selecting the appropriate light for the places you spend most of your time is very important. Nobody wants to be stressed at home or feel sleepy at work because of the wrong choice of lighting! For this reason you have to look at the light colour(3) icon on the light bulb packaging before buying a bulb. Measured in Kelvin (K), the colour of the light (in other words, the colour “temperature”) can vary from cold to warm. A low Kelvin value (e.g. 2700 K) projects a warmer light which is more relaxing and therefore more suitable for home use (e.g. in the living room). The higher the Kelvin value of a bulb (e.g. more than 4000 K) the colder the light produced. Cold lighting is usually preferred in the workplace. Improved incandescent bulb 2 - dimming 3 - light colour Will I use the light bulb in places where I spend a lot of time every day? It is crucial to identify and buy the most efficient and longer lasting bulbs for use in places where you spend several hours per day, so that you can reduce total electricity consumption and the need for maintenance. The lifetime(4) icon on bulb packaging can help you with this as it shows the number of hours a bulb will operate before failure. Longer bulb life means less trouble buying and changing light bulbs. Moreover, on all light bulb packaging there is an EU energy label(5) indicating different classes (A to G) that help you identify the most efficient bulbs. For the same light output, a compact fluorescent lamp (class A) will need only the third of the electricity used by an improved incandescent bulb (class C). You can save a lot of money by opting for the most efficient bulbs. 4 - lifetime 5 - EU energy label Am I going to use the light bulb indoors or outdoors? The ambient temperature of the place where the light bulbs will be used is an important factor to keep in mind when making your purchase. Improved incandescent bulbs, for example, are more resistant to extreme temperatures compared to CFLs or LEDs. Therefore you always have to check whether an operating temperature(6) icon is shown when you buy bulbs that will be used outdoors and exposed to changing temperatures. The bulb should be able to operate at the temperatures likely to occur at the outdoor location where it is installed. 6 - operating temperature How often will I use the light bulb? Most CFLs are very energy-efficient but permit a lower minimum number of on/ off switches before failure(7). Therefore, standard CFLs (with 3000–6000 on/off switches) should not be installed in locations where frequent switching - an average of more than three times a day - is likely, e.g. in toilets or corridors with motion sensors. But there are, however, also CFLs designed to withstand frequent switching. For this reason, before buying any light bulbs, you have to identify the relevant icon indicating the number of on/off switches before failure. Moreover, since some of the new bulb types take a bit longer to warm up and to reach their full light output (e.g. standard CFLs) it is very important to identify the warm-up times(8) icon that will indicate how soon a bulb reaches maximum light output. What to do when a CFL breaks or fails You should be aware of the fact that CFLs contain a small amount of mercury – less than 5 mg, which is several times less than the amount of mercury contained in other products people use at home, such us older thermometers and batteries. In the unlikely event of a broken CFL, you should air the room before cleaning the lamp with a wet cloth. Skin contact with debris should be avoided and vacuum cleaners should not be used to clean up. Buying CFLs with an outer non-breakable enclosure is a way of dealing with mercury leaks in the event of accidental light bulb breakage. The light bulb packaging displays a reference to a website where the manufacturer explains in more detail how to tackle a broken CFL. Like many other electrical products, new light bulbs should not be discarded with normal household waste but should be returned to the dedicated collection points. For more detailed information in your own language, visit the website www.e-lumen.eu, which includes an interactive guide for choosing light bulbs. Published by: European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, B-1049 Brussels • September 2010 7 - number of switches before failure 8 - warm-up times