Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey and the Department of Energy endorse the use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), which use about 75% less power than incandescent bulbs. But one of the dimly lit truths of
the global-warming era is that fluorescent bulbs still seem to be flunking out in most American homes.
The current market share of CFL bulbs in the United States is about 6%, up from
less than 1% before 2001. That compares dismally with CFL adoption rates in other wealthy countries, such as Japan (80%), Germany (50%) and the United Kingdom (20%).
The bulbs--with
their initial flicker, slow warm-up and slightly weird color--tend to bug consumers. Experts on energy consumption call it the "wife test." A key to the abiding grassroots resistance to CFLs, experts
say, is indelible memories of the hideous looks and poor quality of earlier generations of fluorescent lights. A new breed of bulbs solves most, if not all, of the old gripes.
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