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FTC Says 'Lighting Facts' Must Be Plastered on Light Bulb Packaging

by Caleb Johnson on June 24, 2010 at 06:45 PM

FTC puts Lighting Facts on bulbsHave you ever wondered exactly how "healthy" a light bulb is for your energy bill? If so, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is here to help. According to an FTC press release, every light bulb manufactured after the halfway-point of 2011 will feature a "Lighting Facts" label on its packaging. This label, which is a clear nod to the Nutrition Facts label on food products, will provide information pertaining to brightness, energy cost, life expectancy, wattage, "warmness," and whether or not it contains mercury -- all helpful, of course, when deciding how to light your home. On top of that, the FTC has mandated that the front of the package showcase a lumen rating along with a year's estimated energy cost.

Some light bulb manufacturers already include much of this information on their packaging, but it's the energy cost estimate, proudly placed on the front, that consumers will notice most of all. These days, every penny matters when making a purchase, and this new packaging could encourage the average consumer to buy 'green' lighting, rather than just grabbing the most powerful bulb on the shelf. [From: FTC, via: Engadget]

Tags: bulb, electricity, Energy, Federal Trade Commission, FederalTradeCommission, ftc, green, greentech, light, lightbulb, lighting, lighting facts, LightingFacts, top

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