GE will stop making CFL bulbs, focus on LEDs instead

Brittany A. Roston - Feb 1, 2016

GE has decided it is time to part ways with compact fluorescent lamp production, the company announced in a statement today. This year, GE plans to cease production of CFL light bulbs and switch its focus over to LED bulb production instead; CFL bulbs have been on the downswing, and says GE, they “were never really beloved.” Now that LED prices are coming down, consumers are increasingly turning their attention to the more efficient bulb technology.

The change will take place for the U.S. market, according to GE, and will result in the end of coiled CFL production. The bulb type was first introduced in the 80s, and enjoyed brief but high popularity starting around 2007. The introduction of LED bulbs have largely caught public attention, and now that cost is coming down, many are no longer interested in putting up with CFLs’ issues.

Among other criticisms, CFL bulbs take a while to warm up after being turned on, they can’t be used with dimmer switches, and the light is commonly harsh, at least with the less expensive bulbs. In 2015, CFLs comprised 15-percent of bulb sales in the U.S., only about half of what it was at its peak.

Just a few years ago, LED light bulbs cost $40+ each, making them too expensive for many to justify. This was coupled with issues like failing circuit boards that reduced lifespan. Only a few years later, costs have gone down substantially and quality has increased. An LED bulb equivalent to 60 watts can be had for a little over $3 from some retailers, GE points out. ... In 2015, LED light bulb sales jumped 250-percent; thus far, 1.7 LED bulbs have been sold in the U.S. alone. If GE is correct, more than 50-percent of lighting needs will be satisfied with LEDs in the US by 2020. LED bulbs have advantages over CFLs, as well, not the least of which is the 22-year life span.
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SOURCE: General Electric

Say Goodbye, Say Hello: GE Stops Making CFLs, Says Go, Go, Go To LEDs

Feb 1, 2016 by Mark Egan

GE is breaking up with compact fluorescent lamps. ... This year, GE will cease production of its coiled compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for the U.S. market and instead focus its consumer lighting efforts on LED lamps. Few people will mourn the end of the CFL era. Introduced in the mid-1980s, CFLs enjoyed a spurt of popularity after Oprah Winfrey endorsed them in 2007. The bulbs briefly accounted for about 30 percent of U.S. light bulb sales. But the bulbs, which heat gas rather than a filament, were never really beloved, and last year accounted for just 15 percent of sales. Consumers complained CFL light was too harsh, didn’t work with dimmers, flickered and took too long to warm up and light a room.

But the bulbs served an important purpose. Starting in 2012, U.S. regulations demanded that incandescent light bulbs – the kind that Edison invented – needed to use 30 percent less energy to meet minimum efficiency standards. That ruling instantly made incandescent lights almost obsolete. ... Over time, incandescent bulbs were replaced by three options — CFLs, LED lights and GE’s energy-efficient soft white bulbs, a type of halogen lamp most closely resembling the old bulbs. LED lamps were the most efficient and gave the best light, but they were prohibitively expensive, costing $40-$50 in 2012.

The reason GE can make the shift from CFLs to LEDs today is because LED prices have dramatically declined since GE engineer Nick Holonyak (see video below) invented the first red-light LED in 1962. Today, a 60-watt-equivalent LED bulb sells at Sam’s Club for $3.33 — a price point that helped LED sales grow 250 percent last year. LEDs now account for 15 percent of the 1.7 billion bulbs sold annually in the United States. GE expects that by 2020, LEDs will be used in more than 50 percent of U.S. light sockets.

The government is as anxious as anyone to get rid of CFLs. By next year, many of those bulbs will no longer qualify for the coveted ENERGY STAR rating, which introduced a new lighting specification in January. “These LED lightbulbs are starting to replicate what the electrical filament has done for over 100 years — providing that look and warm ambience that people are used to,” says GE Lighting chief operating officer John Strainic. “The time for LED is now.”