The world is warming up. Global warming refers to the increase in the average measured temperature of the earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20^th century, and its projected continuation. Evidence reveals that a 0.6 degree rise would kill 150,000 people every year. Glaciers, permafrost and sea ice are disappearing. Sea levels are rising, seasons changing and extreme weather becoming more extreme. As temperatures increase further, there will almost inevitably be more flooding, more droughts, more disease, more famine and causing the destruction of entire ecosystems and species.

This massive and rapid change to our climate is likely to be caused by the greenhouse effect. Recent researches show that CO₂ emissions are occurring at a rate doubling the capacity that the earth can assimilate. Furthermore, CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere are now 380 ppm, which is higher than any measured records over 4,000,000 years. The delicate balance of atmospheric gases that sustains life is thickening, trapping more and more heat and irreversibly changing our world.

Lighting is a necessity in the daily lives of people. Old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs waste as much as 95% of the energy they use. Compared with incandescent bulbs, LEDs and CFLs can save up to 80% energy. To save the world, it's time to switch to eco-lighting products.

Many countries and regions have adopted energy efficiency policies and introduced the mandatory or voluntary Energy Efficiency Label scheme to provide information on energy consumption and efficiency to help consumers make better purchasing decisions. The energy efficiency of the appliance is rated in terms of a set of energy efficiency classes on the label. The labels also provide other useful information to the customers for comparison with various models.

In the US, co-managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ENERGY STAR is a government-backed, labeling program that helps people save money and protect the environment by identifying products that offer superior energy efficiency and performance. ENERGY STAR qualified Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) represent the most efficient CFLs in the market with the best quality of light. ENERGY STAR approved CFLs must meet the following strict efficiency criteria:

• Use at least 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light,
• Be able to sustain their light output over time,
• Have a minimum rated lifetime of 6,000 hours or greater (about 5 years of regular use at 3 hours/day) though the current average lifetime is 8,000 hours and
• Identify the color temperature and provide a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 or more.

For further information of the Energy Star, please go to: http://www.energystar.gov

MEGAMAN^® is passionately dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and conserving the environment. Driven by the initiative of replacing incandescent and halogen applications, MEGAMAN^® strives to improve the efficiency of its energy-saving lamps.

The MEGAMAN^® energy saving lamps receive energy efficiency recognition from organizations worldwide, reassuring users of the lamps' luminous efficacy. Most MEGAMAN^® energy saving lamps have been approved by ENERGY STAR in the US and rated CLASS A on the Energy Label recognized by the EU. They are also assessed with high rating in Energy Efficiency by Hong Kong Voluntary Energy Efficiency Labeling Scheme for Compact Fluorescent Lamps. Moreover, MEGAMAN^® energy saving lamps meet the standard outlined in the Energy Efficiency Recommended Programme as certified by the Energy Saving Trust of the United Kingdom.