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R.Desikan

An "imported" product doesn't always promise the best quality or price.

The Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) recently tested 23 brands of imported compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). The brightness of light is measured as lumens. Each watt of bulb must have a certain lumen specification. The Bureau of Indian Standards has laid down the lumen specification under the ISI mark. However, the ISI has not yet specified the standards for CFLs. But standards by other countries form the basis of the ISI standards.

Insight, the consumer magazine published by CERS, in its January-February' 2002 issue, carried the test findings on 23 brands of foreign-made CFLs. None gave the desired light, some not even half of that expected. The actual wattages of the brands were much below the marked wattages and their efficacy ratios below standards. Though CFLs made and marketed in India are also available, the decision to test non-Indian ones was based on concern over cheap, sub-standard foreign-made products being dumped on the Indian market.

Their prices range from Rs 35-Rs 250 against standard products offered by Indian companies costing a minimum of Rs 350. The 23 brands of foreign-made products, with no guarantee or warranty, had no country of origin marked on them. They had been imported and marketed by small Indian dealers/distributors. In the absence of Indian standards for CFLs, the brands were tested against American and European standards and against their own label claims. What makes CFLs popular today is their energy-saving claim, especially welcome in the light of mounting electricity bills. As per international standards, when actually measured, the electricity consumption should not exceed 115 per cent of the marked watts to ensure that power consumption is within the declared limits. All the brands tested measured wattages much below those marked.

But that's nothing to be happy about. The fact that the lamps consumed so much less power also meant that they gave much less light. For instance, if a consumer opted for a 15-W CFL to give him light equivalent to a 75-W incandescent, he would get light equal only to a 25-W incandescent, though he would save on power. The light output of the different brands ranged from as low as 13.6 to 88.9 per cent. European standards require light given out by a CFL must be not less than 90 per cent of that marked on the label. Two samples were exceptions, giving out 93.5 and 99.2 per cent of the light expected.

The efficacy ratio is a ratio of the light given out to the power consumed. A high efficacy ratio would mean more light and less power. The minimum efficacy by American standards should be 40. Though one sample of Konica stopped functioning even before the specified minimum of the 100-hour ageing period, the second sample recorded an efficacy ratio of 56.23. All other brands failed this parameter. International standards require CFLs to give information on voltage, wattage, current, frequency, lumen, name and address of manufacturers, etc. None of the brands complied with labelling requirements.

In the absence of the names of manufacturers on all the brands, the results were sent to the concerned marketers/importers. Only eight brands carried the marketers' names. The Indian consumer is not assured of the best buy in terms of quality and price. It's imperative that the Government set up a Consumer Protection Authority of India and also simplify the Consumer Protection Act to make it effective.

The author is former Chairman, Federation of Consumer Organisations, Tamil Nadu. He can be reached at rdesikan@vsnl.com

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