May 15, 2008—Rosslyn, VA: NEMA’s Incandescent Lamp Index increased 0.7% for the first quarter of 2008, ending a spate of declines beginning in the second quarter of 2007. Despite the modest quarterly increase, the index fell 24.5% on a year-over-year basis. Although shipments of incandescent lamps have declined steadily since 2004, the index showed the largest annual decline to date, dropping 18.6% in calendar year 2007. Conversely, the index for compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) shipments grew by 33% compared to the same period last year. Moreover, the index has grown by a magnitude of five since 2004. Following a surge in shipments during 2002, partly brought on by the energy crisis in California, growth in the CFL shipments index averaged 66% per year through 2005. However, the growth rate of the index soared in 2006 and 2007 increasing by 112.6 and 138.6 percent, respectively. These industry trends are likely to continue, albeit at a more tepid pace given the current slowdown in the U.S. economy. Nevertheless, the divergence of the indices will continue to grow as consumers increasingly substitute CFLs for traditional A-Line incandescent lamps.