Make Way for LED: GE To Cease Production of CFL Lightbulbs

“Because of the rapid decline in price of the LED light bulb over the past few years and its energy savings and longterm cost benefits, it’s very possible we will see an increase in consumer preference for the LED light bulbs over CFLs. The ever-changing technology we see in today’s society has influenced the lighting market drastically already, and will make it easier for us to change our purchasing decisions in the future.” This was in our June 2015 blog, Why LED Light Bulbs are Slowly Gaining on CFL Light Bulbs, and we couldn’t have predicted a more accurate picture.

Fast forward 8 months from our June 2015 blog: Because of the long-term cost efficiency of LEDs, and their higher energy efficiency compared to CFL bulbs, GE (General Electric) announced last week that they will stop manufacturing their CFL light bulbs by the end of 2016 to focus more of their efforts on energy-efficient LEDs.

When the phase out of incandescent bulbs started in 2014, the majority chose either CFL or LED. GE noticed that within the last year, more people were buying LED bulbs. GE’s CFL light bulb sales used to be 30% of the market, but went down in 2015 to 15%. GE customers were complaining that the CFL bulbs took too long to “warm” up, so it took longer for the light to become fully bright. GE customers also complained about the bulbs flickering, and the fact that they didn’t work with dimmer switches was also a nuisance.

So, customers were shelling out a few extra more dollars up-front for the LED bulbs, and were smart to do so. Not only are LED bulbs more energy efficient compared to CFL bulbs, they are cost effective in the long run because they last longer. LED bulbs can be dimmable, and also produce less heat than your CFL bulb.

Will other companies follow in GE’s footsteps and say bye-bye to the CFL? Only time will tell. But as we mentioned in our June 2015 blog, the ever-changing technology in the lighting market definitely makes our purchasing decisions easier, and shows how our society today is pushing for cost-effective, energy efficient products.