The most energy-efficient fluorescent lamps saw a marked increase in sales during 4Q 2010, according to data from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va. NEMA's T5 lamp index increased for the third consecutive quarter, registering a reading of 164.5 during 4Q 2010. Shipments of T5 lamps showed robust growth for the calendar year by advancing nearly 31.0 percent over 2009. T8 lamp shipments posted an annual increase of 6.7 percent despite a 2.2 percent dip during the fourth quarter. The T12 lamp index continued on a path of decline during 2010 decreasing 7.1 percent for the year as a whole compared to 2009. Fourth quarter shipments of T12 lamps were 9.7 percent below their level from Q3 2010.
The market shares for T5 and T12 shipments increased 1.0 percent each at the expense of T8s, which declined by 2.0 percentage points during the fourth quarter. For calendar year 2010, T5 and T8 shares increased reaching 8.8 and 63.3 percent of shipments, respectively. Meanwhile, the share of T12 shipments decreased 3.4 percentage points to 27.9 percent.