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. With residential construction still at a very low level and households struggling in the aftermath of the Great Recession, demand for household lamps, chiefly the more costly CFLs, remains weak.