The Department of Energy proposed a rule in December 2022 that would require minimum lighting efficiency for fluorescent lights from 120 lumens per watt -- more than double the current requirements.

Besides being less efficient than LEDs, compact fluorescent light bulbs have trace amounts of mercury, a dangerous toxin. The average CFL has about 4 milligrams of mercury, according to EnergyStar.

According to a 1994 study, tallow candles once cost 40.3 cents per 1,000 lumen hours. An Edison filament lamp cost 0.6 cents and a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb cost 0.12 cents.

The Green Lantern The Case for CFLs Compact fluorescent light bulbs are safe, and they look great, too. By Brendan Koerner Feb 05, 20087:39 AM CFL use is spiraling upward ...

LED stands for light emitting diodes. The new efficiency standard announced by the Biden administration requires light bulbs to meet a minimum standard of producing 45 lumens per watt.

The rule, which has yet to be finalized, would more than double the minimum efficiency levels of the most common lightbulbs from the current standard of 45 lumens per watt to over 120 lumens per watt.

The compact fluorescent light bulb revolution nearly occurred back in the early 1990s. When CFLs first hit the market in force, consumers bought them in large numbers -- but they hated them.