What would happen if you walked around and asked all of your coworkers to tell you how many lumens the lights in their homes put out?
Chances are they wouldn’t have the faintest idea (unless you work for a lighting company, but that’s another story). Your coworkers, your friends — heck, even your mom — could probably tell you how many Watts the lights in their homes consume. But when it comes to lumens, you might get a few blank stares.
That’s why the Department of Energy is launching a new consumer education campaign this fall to educate the public about lumens, which measure light output. It won’t be long before Watts will take a backseat on lighting packaging. When the new Lighting Facts labels begin appearing on light bulb packaging next year, the front of the package will display the number of lumens a light contains. This will help tell consumers how bright the light they’re buying will be. The more lumens, the greater the light output.
This becomes particularly important as we get closer to the first phase of the U.S. incandescent ban, which starts in 2012, when 100W incandescent lights are phased out. Then, in the following two years, the U.S. will say goodbye to 75W, 60W and 40W bulbs thanks to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. As more energy-efficient lighting options like LEDs enter the market, consumers are going to have to learn to look at lumens to gauge the light output they’re looking for.
We’re looking forward to learning more about the DOE’s consumer education initiative. In the meantime, we’re pleased to see the DOE is expanding its presence online. You can now:
- Follow the DOE on Twitter
- See DOE photos on Flickr
- “Like” the DOE on facebook
- “Like” U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu on facebook
- Watch DOE videos on YouTube
- Read the DOE’s new blog
And, of course, you can find us on most of these networks too. Just click the icons in the upper right corner of our blog.
