Have you ever stood in the lighting aisle at the store and picked out a bulb based on the wattage, only to come home, screw it in and see that it was way brighter (or dimmer) than you expected? It’s an easy mistake to make, especially when you’re buying energy-efficient lighting.

The Federal Trade Commission is proposing new labels for light bulbs that are based on light output instead of energy consumption, a move that could make it easier for consumers to pick out the bulbs they need.

Under the proposed change, the front of a bulb’s package would list the brightness in lumens and the estimated energy cost per year. Flip the package over, and you would find a “lighting facts” label that includes details on life expectancy, color appearance (warm to cool) and energy use in watts, under the proposal. The labels would also require acknowledging whether bulbs have mercury (CFLs contain mercury, but LEDs don’t). Take a look at the proposed changes here:

Those of us who grew up with incandescent bulbs knew that an average 75 Watt bulb was going to be about twice as bright as a 40 Watt bulb, even though light output is measured by lumens and not watts. But since energy-efficient lights like CFLs and LEDs produce more light while using less energy, you can’t really judge their brightness based on their wattage.

To get a fair comparison on brightness, you really need to look at lumens and not watts. Consider this: This month Cree announced that we were able to achieve 186 lumens per Watt for a white power LED. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider the average 25 Watt bulb produces 215 lumens.

Now, it’s important to note that we’re not currently putting that 186 lumen per Watt LED in a light bulb. But our business is basically built on the premise that it’s possible to produce bright light while saving energy.

But back to the bulbs…as traditional incandescent bulbs are phased out, it will become increasingly important to make sure consumers understand how the new energy-efficient lighting they’re buying will perform. That’s also why I blog about issues like this. The more you know about LED lighting, the better!

And for those who think LED lights will never be viable, definitely take a look at the full report the FTC made on the proposed label changes. Among the many bright spots for LEDs in the report is this:  “The Commission believes that labeling for LED bulbs is likely to assist consumers in their purchasing decisions because they are substitutes for incandescent and CFLs and are likely to become increasingly available for household use.”

Coincidentally, one of our Twitter followers recently asked us why bulbs aren’t measured in lumens v. Watts:

Well, @Chris_Gammell, we hope this post helps answer your question! If you need more details, check out this post by Jim Brodrick, who oversees Solid State Lighting for the Department of Energy, about the proposed change.

What do you think about the FTC proposal to change the way labels look? Do you think this will make buying a light bulb easier?