The US Federal Trade Commission has announced a final ruling on new labels for light bulbs. The labels will break down the "lighting facts" of bulbs much like a nutrition label on food products. With CFLs, LEDs and other lighting technologies filling the shelves alongside incandescents, the labels will help consumers find what they're looking for.
The major change that these labels bring is using lumens to indicate the brightness of the bulb instead of watts, that way all bulbs will use the same terminology and consumers can compare them easily. Other statistics listed on the labels will be: yearly energy cost, the bulb's life expectancy, light appearance (on a scale of warm to cool), energy used (wattage) and, for CFLs, a warning that it contains mercury.
The clear labeling of cost and energy savings over time, could help more efficient lighting win over consumers who haven't made the switch yet.
The new labels should start showing up in the middle of next year.
