### b. Energy-saving technology for lighting equipment

Lighting products have also been substantially improving their energy-saving performance through the introduction of advanced materials and devices.

Light bulbs have increased their efficiency by introducing inverter-driven fluorescent lights, high-frequency (Hf) fluorescent lights, etc. (Figure 3-4-11). Those products are also user-friendly, as they light instantly and do not flicker.

The energy efficiency of electric bulb-type fluorescent lamps is four or five times higher than that of incandescent light bulbs. The former is more expensive than the latter in terms of unit price, but is more economical in the long run due to higher durability and a lower consumption of electricity (Figure 3-4-12).

Also, LED (light emitting diode) has excellent energy-saving characteristics, including low electricity consumption, longer life and a small size. LED has already been successfully introduced in traffic signals and display components, and it can be expected to be widely utilized for general lighting equipment in the future. In addition, organic electroluminescence (EL), which is the technology to electrify illuminable organic materials, has several advantages, such as low electricity consumption, the ability to create a thin product and foldability. Organic EL has been already practically applied to display components, and is expected to be widely applied to lighting equipment in the future.

Reflectors made of high-performance reflective materials are also drawing attention. Installing such reflectors in a way that creates an appropriate angle of reflection would substantially improve lighting effects and reduce electricity consumption, and such techniques have

Figure 3-4-11 Comparison of energy-saving performance among diverse fluorescent lights

Figure 3-4-12 Comparison of electricity consumption between electric bulb-type fluorescent lamps and incandescent light bulbs

already found practical applications. As a matter of fact, in 2006 the Ministry of the Environment succeeded in achieving about a 30% year-on-year energy saving at the Ministry’s main office in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, by installing such reflectors with fluorescent lights and adjusting their illumination intensity.

### c. Energy-saving technologies for other electric home appliances

Recent trends in the television market can be characterized by the widespread introduction of thin displays, including liquid crystal displays and plasma displays, coexisting with conventional cathode-ray tubes (CRT). Since thin televisions have a wider display in general, they tend to increase electricity consumption. However, energy-saving performance has been improving at the same time, resulting in overall reduced power consumption when size and system are the same. As far as medium-sized or smaller televisions are concerned, there is a general tendency for liquid crystal televisions to consume less electricity than plasma televisions or CRT televisions. Energy-saving efforts under the top-runner standards have been also promoted for televisions.

The demand for warmwater bidets has been increasing recently, where user needs are diverse. Some people use it for comfort, some use it because of health problems, and others need it during cold weather. Although those products consume electricity to warm a seat, etc., their energy-saving technology has been upgraded at the same time. For example, the “instantaneous heating system” has been recently introduced, where the heating system is activated on demand. This system consumes less electricity than the conventional “hot water storage system,” as the former does not require power for heat retention even though its instantaneous electricity consumption is large. In addition, in an effort to save the electricity to be used for warming a seat, an automatic on/off power control function as well as a sensor to detect a user for automatic heater activation have been developed (Figure 3-4-14).

When compared to conventional electric kettles, latest-model counterparts equipped with a vacuum-insulation panel have a superior energy-saving performance for heat retention. This vacuum-insulation technology makes it possible to achieve about an