The CFL: Coming Soon to a Light Socket Near You In a nation with 4 billion light

Question

The CFL: Coming Soon to a Light Socket Near You

In a nation with 4 billion light sockets, one light bulb per household can make a real difference. If every U.S. household

replaced one ordinary incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), the energy saved would be enough

to light 3 million homes. This single change would be the environmental equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road

and preventing 450 pounds of greenhouse gases from reaching the atmosphere. Change a light bulb, help the planet, slash

energy costs

—sounds like a win

-win situation.

Yet since the CFL’s invention more than 30 years ago, it has been slow to catch on. Meanwhile, the incandescent light

bulb, which was commercialized more than a century ago, still accounts for more than 90 percent of all light bulbs sold in

the U.S. Why have CFLs not been more popular?

•

Higher price.

One big reason that CFLs have not been big sellers is because each costs five to seven times more than

an incandescent light bulb does. A

CFL can last up to twelve times as long as an incandescent bulb does, and

installing even a few will make a noticeable difference in a household’s monthly electric bill. However, the initial

outlay has discouraged many people from making the switch.

•

Not t

he same old light bulb.

A second reason is that CFLs do not work as well as incandescent bulbs do in certain

circumstances, such as in fixtures outfitted with dimmers or in spotlights. Because the two types of bulbs are not

completely interchangeable, cons

umers have to do at least a little research and possibly some experimentation to

determine when they can and cannot install a CFL in place of an incandescent bulb. Instead, most consumers stay

with what they know and keep buying the same type of bulbs they

have always used.

•

Still too new.

Until very recently, few CFLs could be found on store shelves; those that were available had to compete

with rows and rows of incandescent light bulbs. And CFLs were rarely featured in advertising. Despite some

publicity, not everyone was getting the message about the CFL’s energy efficiency and the long

-term cost benefits of

switching from incandescents.

•

Disposal concerns.

Because CFLs contain a minute amount of mercury, they must be handled like hazardous waste

instead of

being thrown away like ordinary light bulbs. Sylvania provides customers with special packaging to return

burnt

-out CFLs for recycling by dropping them off at FedEx Kinko’s or at local post offices. However, even when

consumers know about the benefits of CFLs, they may not know how to dispose of them safely.

Now the CFL is coming into its own amid a growing chorus of campaigns by retailers, manufacturers, utilities, and

government agencies. Wal

-Mart is putting a major marketing push behind CFLs, featuring them in ads and on the Web to

encourage its 100 million customers to buy at least one new bulb. The retailer has even added CFLs to its back-

to-school

shopping list for eco-

friendly products that it has posted on Facebook to reach “green teens.” Utilities such as Pacific Gas

& Electric in California have given away free CFLs or have offered CFLs at reduced prices to encourage customers to at

least try the bulbs.

Major bulb manufacturers like General Electric, Philips, and Sylvania are helping to educate con

sumers about CFLs

through on-

package information and in marketing communications such as ads and media interviews. With new

government standards calling for the phase

-out of regular incandescent light bulbs over the next 10 years, manufacturers

are also testing energy

-efficient lighting alternatives such as low

-heat incandescent bulbs, new halogen bulbs, and light

-

emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Soon light sockets all over America will be lit with CFLs and other new bulbs.

i

Case Questions

3. How have the characteristics of the innovation and consumer learning requirements affected consumers’ resistance to and adoption of CFLs?

Explanation / Answer

As mentioned in the case, the CFL's have been in market for decades but consumers are not aware of it's complete benefits over traditional bulbs. Few reasons for non adoption as mentioned are high cost, lack of promotion from stores and primt media, lack of offers, no knowledge of disposal mechanism etc. But in reality, the traditional bulbs are causing more problems to the environment as compared to he CFL. If every consumer is made aware of the benefits of CFL, many will start adopting the same.

To ensure ease of adaption following things can be done:

It has become very clear that in addition to providing training and increase awareness of CFL, regulatory bodies have to ensure the environment friendly option should be pushed and not the harmful one.

Another key reason for product to fail in it's initial stages are lack of support from consumer who are resistant to change. New technology and their adoption would mean moving away from their comfort Zone. The sudden changes in the lighting system would not be easily adapted by them. To push them to use the cfl bulbs, targeted promotion and if possible mass awareness campaigns should be done. Any sudden disruption to a well established concept would take time to get used to. If the consumers are given proper awareness of the product and it's postivie effect on the environment, then there is a higher chance of faster adoption of CFL'S.

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