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4:28 p.m. EST December 18, 2013
A plethora of more efficient alternatives to the traditional 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent light bulbs have entered the market in recent years. Some are halogens, and others are CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and LEDs (light emitting diodes).
(Photo: Wendy Koch, USA TODAY)
The Thomas Edison era largely comes to an end Jan. 1 with the phaseout of America’s most popular light bulb. Surprised? A survey out Thursday finds that most consumers are, and a third plan to stock up on the old incandescents before they fade away.
Three of five, or 59%, of Americans say they didn’t know that the top-selling 60-watt bulb — plus the 40-watt version — will start disappearing from store shelves next year, according to the sixth annual “socket survey” by lighting company Osram Sylvania.
About twice as many respondents as last year — now 30% — say they plan to buy a lot of Edison’s century-old incandescents wherever they’re still available and continue using them rather than switching to more efficient alternatives, says the survey of 300 U.S. adults conducted last month.
“Some Americans are digging in. It takes people awhile to adjust,” says Anne Guertin, Osram Sylvania spokeswoman. She notes, though, that two-thirds of those surveyed plan to switch, and 59% welcome the efficiency shift.