WOMEN AGAINST FLOURESCENTS?

Seems more like "Women Against Their Husbands' Crazy Ideas" but, actually, its one of Al Gore's ideas and its not crazy.

Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquility; Energy-Savers a Turn-Off for Wives
Blaine Harden, April 30, 2007 (Washington Post)

WHO
Americans responsible for choosing light bulbs for their homes, identified here as primarily women.

WHAT
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are failing “the wife test” and are not being used extensively in the US.

WHEN
- CFLs, though not widely used in the US, are 6 times more popular than they were in 2001.
- Australia has outlawed incandescents after 2009, Canada’s Ontario province will ban them after 2012.

WHERE
US homes, 6%.
Japan, 80%. Germany, 50%. UK, 20%.

WHY
- CFLs draw 75% less energy than incandescents but celebrity endorsements and Al Gore’s crusade have failed to move the market significantly.
- Resistance: Earlier generations, still remembered were bulky, expensive and cast a harsh white light.
- Now: CFLs pay for themselves within 6 months and last 7-10 years longer than incandescents. They are compact and easy to handle. They no longer hum or flicker. They cast a warm, yellowish “incandescent-like” light.
- Nevertheless, CFLs sell poorly where women do the bulk of the shopping and much better where men do it.

QUOTES
- Wendy Reed, director of the federal government's Energy Star campaign: "There is still a big hurdle in convincing Americans that lighting-purchase decisions make a big difference in individual electricity bills and collectively for the environment…I have heard time and again that a husband goes out and puts the bulb into the house, thinking he is doing a good thing…Then, the CFL bulb is changed back out by the women. It seems that women are much more concerned with how things look. We are the nesters."
- Sara Sifford, 53, homemaker: "What really got me was when my husband put a fluorescent in the lamp next to my bed…violating the last vestige of my personal space…He [her husband] has worn me down…Honestly, the fluorescent bulbs still bug me."
- Popular Mechanics: "The new fluorescent bulbs aren't just better for both your wallet and the environment -- they produce better light…"