GE to Stop Selling Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Feb 02, 2016

"GE is breaking up with compact fluorescent lamps" is how General Electric broke the news in a Monday release on its latest development: It will phase out compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, this year and start moving toward now-more-affordable light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, Bloomberg reports.

And, LEDs outperform CFL bulbs when it comes to consumer expectations, including instant brightness, light quality, dimmability and connectivity.

The shift towards LED lighting has been gradual but one can't deny that it's happening and GE wants to nudge it along.

LED lights are a slightly more greener option as opposed to conventional CFL products and this move by GE could very well nudge more average consumers to make the shift to LED lights. Gizmodo notes that, in addition to providing illumination, the circuit boards in LEDs can power Bluetooth and WiFi antennas and serve as a power source for sensors in consumers' homes. "And these systems will become part of a larger digitally connected energy ecosystem that changes the way we use energy".

Over the years, the quality of LED lights has improved and perhaps, more importantly, the bulbs have gotten cheaper.

Halogen dominates standard bulb shipments, the association reported, representing nearly half of the total, followed by CFLs at about 27 per cent, a share that is on the decline.

CFLs also have several drawbacks. They contain mercury, requiring special handling and disposal, they typically can't be dimmed like incandescent or LED bulbs, and they take some time to warm up.

Meanwhile, prices of LEDs have dropped sharply, and their long life span - 20 years or more - means they seldom need to be replaced. Instead of letting the technology die slowly, the company is taking a hard line.

Source: Laurel Leader Call