A new twist for light bulbs that conserve energy

— -- Earth Day is bringing brighter prospects for perhaps the most pervasive symbol of the environmental movement: the compact fluorescent bulb.

Starting Tuesday, all three of the world's top bulb manufacturers plan to roll out CFLs this year that look and perform more like traditional incandescent bulbs.

"Any time you can make those compact fluorescent lights more easily and readily exchangeable for incandescents, the more attractive they are for consumers," says Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. "It's really very exciting."

The energy bill passed by Congress last year mandates the phaseout of the traditional incandescent from 2012 to 2020 in favor of more efficient bulbs.

CFLs are about 75% more efficient than standard bulbs, but consumer adoption has been slow because they cost more ($3 to $10 vs. 25 cents for an incandescent), are slightly larger, turn on a bit more slowly and can give off less light or a bluish tint. But CFLs last about 10 times as long and save up to $50 in energy costs over their life spans.

The new offerings:

• Osram Sylvania today kicks off the CFL makeover with a model called the micromini Twist, which is 3.7 inches in length. A standard CFL is 4.6 inches, or about 1/10 of an inch longer than an incandescent.

Many CFLs don't fit in certain light fixtures that have harps above the bulb or in kitchen or bathroom fixtures that feature glass ornaments around the socket. Sylvania managed to squeeze the bulb's electronics into a tighter space and eliminate the two prongs that typically connect the base to the spiral light fixture.

"It's the first CFL designed to fit everywhere a standard incandescent can go," says Sylvania spokeswoman Stephanie Anderson.

The bulb, she says, also turns on instantly. Some CFLs have a half-second or so delay, though the industry has gradually been chipping away at that interval.

The micromini, which costs $10 for a two-pack, also has a color temperature close to incandescents. Many CFLs have higher temperatures that cause them to emit a bluish hue.

Finally, the bulb contains 1.5 milligrams of mercury, vs. 3 to 5 milligrams for typical CFLs. Mercury can pose a health hazard, especially to children and fetuses.

• Philips Lighting later this week is introducing a three-way CFL that functions like a typical three-way bulb. It turns on instantly and shows three distinct bands of light. Many three-way CFLs turn on more slowly, and the light levels eventually tend to look similar. Price: $10 to $15, slightly higher than other three-way CFLs.

• GE Consumer & Industrial later this year is coming out with a CFL that looks exactly like an incandescent. Although some CFLs sport the same shape, they're larger.

The bulb, which will cost $5 to $6, also will be the first CFL to match an incandescent's light output, says Gary Crawford, GE's global product manager for compact fluorescents.

CFLs' output is slightly less than incandescents'.