NEMA: Lamp sales continue decline, CFL penetration drops

Although shipments of lighting equipment rose by more than 3 percent in the third quarter, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association's indices for lamp sales showed continued weakness.

NEMA's lamp indices for incandescent and compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps declined 7.1 and 18.2 percent, respectively, on a year-over-year basis during the third quarter of 2009. The incandescent lamp sales index fell for the twelfth consecutive quarter and registered its lowest level ever recorded (55.4). CFL sales have contracted in five of the last 6 quarters, slipping to 184.1, which is a level that has not been observed since the end of 2006.

In terms of market share, CFLs gave back previous gains during the third quarter, decreasing to 23 percent from the record high of 26.6 percent observed during the previous quarter, NEMA said.