Why Don't Women Like Fluorescent Light Bulbs?

When the Curmudgeon went around the house replacing all the energy-hogging incandescent lights with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, Mrs. Curmudgeon groused a bit. Some of the new lights hesitate for a moment before coming on after flicking the light switch, and most of the floodlamp types take 15-30 seconds to warm up to full light.

Yesterday, Mrs. Curmudgeon pointed out a Washington Post article discussing the broader gender gap on fluorescent lights. (See Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquillity; Energy-Savers a Turnoff for Wives.)

It seems that Mrs. Curmudgeon is not alone--many women apparently lack enthusiasm when their enterprising hubby comes home from the local Big Box hardware store with a trunk full of the spiral shaped bulbs. [Query: why does such an energy saving item have to come in bulky, thick plastic packaging that will stay in the local landfill for the next thousand years?]

Mrs. Curmudgeon has largely gotten over her initial objections (or maybe she's just resigned), although she still refuses to let the Curmudgeon put decorative fluorescent bulbs in the dining room chandelier. The clearly lower power bills we've shown her have helped, and we've all grown to appreciate the cleaner, whiter and brighter light given off by the new bulbs once they warm up.

Still, it may be that the fluorescent bulb industry needs to adopt a two-tiered marketing approach. For men, continue to focus on no frills packaging emphasizing energy-savings and the long life of the new bulbs (the Curmudgeon likes the fact that he won't have to replace these new bulbs for 5-7 years or more). For women, perhaps some softer-colored packaging with pictures of the polar bears (or other warm and fuzzy creatures) who will be saved, or a son sitting on mom's lap reading in the glow of a lamp with spiral-shaped fluorescent providing the lighting. (The Post notes that men are more likely to shop for bulbs at Home Depot, Lowes and other similar big box stores, whereas women make their purchases at grocery stores, so different types of packaging can be targeted to different retail outlets.)

We need to do something--according to the Post article, U.S. market share for fluorescents, while growing, is still at only six percent, compared to 80 percent in Japan, 50 percent in Germany and 20 percent in Great Britain.

And, in case you haven't been reading our prior posts on the topic, the fluorescents make a dramatic difference. In the darker months--November through February--we saw as much as a 30 percent reduction in our electric bill after changing over to the new bulbs. There is no question that this is the least expensive, easiest and fastest way for an average homeowner to begin the process of conserving electricity, thereby reducing carbon emissions and reliance on energy from unstable foreign regimes.