The Federal Trade Commission has proposed new labeling requirements to emphasize energy costs, which the consumer protection agency believes will help buyers better identify and choose between various light bulbs.

"The proposed labels provide consumers with clear, easily understandable information to help them choose among different bulb types," the FTC said in announcing the proposal.

The FTC wants light bulb makers to label bulbs with lumens as a measure of brightness, along with estimated energy cost information, expected lifetime, color temperature and wattage.

Because of new technology and changes to the marketplace, more energy efficient bulbs – such as compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED) products – will become increasingly popular as incandescent bulbs are phased out, FTC said.

These labels could help consumers become familiar at with the different types of light bulbs.

New labels would provide "Lighting Facts" in a box similar the "Nutrition Facts" label for food packages. The FTC also would require the bulb's output in lumens - and a mercury disclosure for bulbs that contain mercury - to be placed on the bulb itself.