Photo credit: USA today
After being passed by Congress, Bush just signed into law a massive energy bill that will, among other things, spell the end of traditional light bulb. USA Today reports that the bill will phase out the venerable (but power-hungry) incandescent bulb over the next dozen years in favor more efficient fluorescent, halogen, and LED bulbs. Specifically, the new law holds that all light bulbs must be 25 to 35 percent more efficient by 2012 to 2014.
A LED-based light bulb
Incandescent bulbs are highly inefficient, and today many compact fluorescent bulbs have a light quality that is similar the warm, incandescent light most of us of familiar with. Each fluorescent bulb installed will chip about $5 off your annual electricity bill. U.S. News has a great FAQ on why the bulbs are being banned, and why fluorescent bulbs are more efficient overall. How about these stats: $40 billion in savings over the years spanning 2012 to 2030, 14 fewer coal-fired power plants, and 51 million fewer tons of carbon emissions annually.
Via: USA Today
What will happen to all of my 3-way lamps?
Those morons never think about unintended consequences:-(
I would appreciate the same freedom of choice as well. We do use the new bulbs in most places in our home as we want to do our part to help out. We also recycle, and do other things. But there are those who are stuggling. Tell me how they are to afford these expensive bulbs? They are not CHEAP. Especially if you have 4 ceiling fans in your home with 3 bulbs in each of them on top of all the other lights thruout your house. Not one light is on in my home as I type this. I dont have to look at the keyboard to type.
Its great to think of taking care of this planet, and to leave SOMETHING behind for our kids but ONE thing I want left behind for them is a government that is not taking over every single aspect of their lives. shrugs
“Maybe the government wouldn’t be saying anything about your light bulbs if those of you who love your incandescents so much would just turn off the lights when you leave a room.”
Ian, you seem to confuse the ‘government’ (made up of duly elected representatives of the people of the Republic of the USA) with parents and you then confuse citizens of our Republic w/children of those parents.
You also appear to believe you possess magical powers that inform you as to whether or not people who prefer good light (incandescent) and freedom turn their lights off frequently enough to suit the dictates of the religion of environmentalism.
Here’s a Big Secret: There is ENOUGH energy to go around. If we need to come up with new ways and means to meet energy needs, we will.
Governmental takeovers of free will do not help that process – they hamper it. If you like ugly, expensive, mercury laden lights — go ahead and buy them. Buy a million of them. I don’t care. In fact, you can rip out the electric and heating systems in your house, for all I care – in fact – go all the way and blow up your house too. Go live in a mud hut with firelight and spears. Be my guest. Just don’t put the ugly lights into publicly shared space and if you blow up your car or house, do so in a place where you won’t harm another person/property.
I would appreciate the same freedom of choice. That’s all.
My descendants will, of course, inherit some of the work left incomplete by me. So what? That’s nothing new. If I can help preserve freedom – then at the very least they’ll have a good chance to work out their own lives with the kind of integrity made possible only by living with freedom. In my opinion, you ought to learn to value freedom more and blind obedience to the fear-mongering environmentalist movement less.
Maybe the government wouldn’t be saying anything about your light bulbs if those of you who love your incandescents so much would just turn off the lights when you leave a room. I replaced all my incandescents with CFL’s a few months ago with QUALITY CFL’s from Costco (in paper packaging, not plastic) and have not noticed a difference in the quality of light, other than it takes 1 minute for them to warm up and achieve full lighting capacity, so the bad quality of light some of you talk about does not make sense to me – I haven’t seen your bulbs, though. Why are people concerned and looking for a solution like CFL’s? Because the country is requiring more power. Where is this going to come from? Coal and Nuclear. Do you really want to breathe in those fumes from the power plants and bask in a nuclear glow from the radioactive waste because we all need more energy? Maybe you are a proponent of just burying nuclear waste (I don’t know what you would do about the carbon emissions, though). Great! Just leave the problems for you children and grandchildren because you don’t want to save energy. You may not want to give up your power-sucking light bulbs, but I have read no solutions from those of you who plan to stockpile light bulbs.
Daisy,
Since we’re going to be stuck with more inefficient products, we can tell the electric companies to shove off with their high prices too. I’m looking into solar power – It’s expensive as heck at the moment, but in the long run, I think going off grid is going to be the only way any of us will be able to survive getting shafted anymore than we already are. I saw an interesting home makeover a few weeks ago – the roof and walls of an up-stair addition was complete glass — not a bad idea, considering that there aren’t many trees near my house, and I could install a solar-heated water supply to boot.
// How can I predict such dire effects, a rabid socialist-environmentalist may squawk? For the exact same reasons I predicted normal household appliance quality would become degraded once US government regulations overtook efficient production/competition/freedom in order to appease socialistic goals. Anyone out there think that the overall quality of household appliances has improved within the past decade? //
Household appliances started going downhill when the corporations realized that supply couldn’t meet demand. People who like junk continue to buy junk, creating a need for even more junk to be mass produced. Those of us who would pay more for a product that won’t breakdown so fast are stuck with – junk! There’s a new house phone every 2-3 years, coffee makers that die after a year, two new irons in the past 4 years, and the wiring on my clothes dryer caught fire after 6 years. Thanks to the placement of the outlet, I was able to save my house, but spent the night airing the smoke out. We get what we pay for, no?
But I digress. If the rabid environmentalists would actually stop and think things through, they would realize that saving the environment includes a need for lights that do not put off harmful emissions.
Pavlov is trying to figure out whose bell needs to be wrung so that salivation can begin. 😉
Denise,
At this very moment, CFL’s cast an ugly light; many produce an annoying buzz; their efficiency is apparently over-rated; they are very expensive and come w/a mercury content that’s dangerous . Notably, all this exists while we still have choices (albeit, rapidly “phasing out” choices) in the market-place. Just imagine what it will be like when our choices are completely eliminated (under government order!). Predictably, the price of these ugly bulbs will continue to escalate, while the quality goes down. Govt. regulated electric companies will opportunistically demand revenue increases – and get them – as their revenue goes down, in the short term, because of initial decrease in energy consumption due to CFL use. Problem is – the CFLs even out in energy consumption to the incandescent about 40% of the way through their life span. Don’t expect electric companies to lower their prices due to this fact.
How can I predict such dire effects, a rabid socialist-environmentalist may squawk? For the exact same reasons I predicted normal household appliance quality would become degraded once US government regulations overtook efficient production/competition/freedom in order to appease socialistic goals. Anyone out there think that the overall quality of household appliances has improved within the past decade?
Very few American manufacturers can afford to do business within the USA since the cost of operations is sky high w/unions and costly over-regulation by government. This is a huge triumph for American socialists. Their dream has come true: our goods, including these awful, heavily plastic packaged bulbs – are now manufactured in their ideal society: The People’s Republic of China. What a paradox – a completely unregulated entity – by any means whatsoever – brings, via slave labor, to the hideously over-regulated ‘free’ world a product only a socialist could love – a lousy, ugly, energy hogging, inefficient light bulb – but hey, no problem, “it’s good for the environment”.
Extreme environmentalists love this phrase, ‘good for the environment’ above reason, logic and freedom. Where’s Pavlov when we need him?
I put Wal-Mart brand Great Value Fluorescent bulbs in 2 years ago. They give off hideous green lighting and it sucks as far as reading. Haven’t really noticed a savings since the electric company raised their rates by 12% again for the 3rd year in a row.
I’m on the computer for most of the day with school & work, and get headaches from the light – and before anyone says it’s from the computer, I take a 3 minute. break every 15 minutes. I’m going back to incandescents, and stockpiling while I can.
//so you’re argument’s good for 1 bulb of each, but it takes 10 incand. light bulbs to match the lifetime of 1 CFL.
Not in my experience. Since I started labeling the install and burn-out dates my average for 11 CFL bulbs is 1.52 years. Does reality count? If you use CFLs you’ll replace them often.
Some of my CFL lifespans are incorrect BTW. When one bulb in a 3-bulb fixture burns out I don’t always notice it right away. It may be there a few months aftre burnout before I spot and replace it. I had one CFL burn out in 1 day.
//Shouldn’t that change your final mercury output of incand. bulbs by a factor of 10?
Not unless you can come up with a good reason why.
Here are some other comments that I didn’t see pointed out…
1) Flourescent lighting (which I’m not against- I have those bulbs in my own home) has a strobe-like quality which is something that children with autism and epilepsy are very sensitive too (and with autism being a growing problem in society, this could affect more and more people).
2) Flourescent bulbs are expensive… It could be a realy struggle for working families in a sluggish economy, when we already have so many other costs on the rise (gas, food, healthcare, etc.). Adding one more expense after another onto families with young children to provide for (who often have to spend exorbatent amounts of money on child care costs) could be a very real hardship.
3) The government shouldn’t be in the business of mandating what kind of lighting we have in our homes. Period.
Yes, we need to be better stewards of the environment, but those who signed all this into law didn’t think of all the facts when doing so.
@Rich…
incandescent = 750HR * 100W = 75KWH
Fluorescent = 8000 HR * 23W = 184 KWH.
fluorescent = 2.92 mg mercury
incandescent = 1.19 mg mercury
so you’re argument’s good for 1 bulb of each, but it takes 10 incand. light bulbs to match the lifetime of 1 CFL. Shouldn’t that change your final mercury output of incand. bulbs by a factor of 10?
//Did I mention the fact that a coal power plant spews out more mercury to produce the power to light an incandescent bulb than what a CFL does?
I got curious about this factoid and decided to run some numbers.
According to the following source…
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/air/vol/registry/quantexamples/example12.html
Power plant mercury emissions are 0.034 lb/GWH.
0.034 lb/GWH = 0.01587 mg/KWH.
Grabbing some numbers from the net, incandescents are rated at 750 HR and flourescents at perhaps 8000 hours (my personal experience is that service life is much less).
Using these numbers for a 100W incandescent and an equivalent 23W fluorescent gives
incandescent = 750HR * 100W = 75KWH
Fluorescent = 8000 HR * 23W = 184 KWH.
Given the emissions per KWH above we end up with the following emissions for the rated service life.
fluorescent = 2.92 mg mercury
incandescent = 1.19 mg mercury
Looks like more mercury is emitted during the service life of a CFL, and in any case, even a low mercury CFL has 5 mg of mercury. A broken CFL releases more mercury (2x to 5x) than is emitted during the service life of either a CFL or an incandescent bulb. And it’s emitted all at once in one closed location, unlike power plant emissions.
At any rate, the numbers don’t seem to support your statement. I say “don’t seem” because it’s not exactly clear what you are saying.
Julie,
Take comfort. You wasted fuel, time and energy, sanity — all manner of things — but take heart: you have made some extreme environmentalist/Marxist happy w/your purchase of lousy, ugly bulbs.
“According to Wikipedia it’ll take em off the market by 2014.”
Exactly. And good bulbs are getting harder to find as the manufacturers phase them out.
Freedom? What’s that?
//You people are crazy.
That’s an intelligent argument.
//I even have them outside and they work just fine in below freezing temperatures.
Some do, some don’t.
//As far as polution goes, yes they have mercury in them. Some of you, though, are grossly inflating the impact, though.
What is the impact of one bulb? Small unless you break it.
What is the enviornmental impact of the 9 million CFL’s I read had been sold in CA? If you think zero, perhaps you can explain.
//I’ve had the same bulbs for YEARS and have put NONE of them in the trash because the haven’t burnt out.
I’ve replaced dozens and dozens. I finally started recording install and replace dates. My average life for 11 bulbs is 1.52 years, a far cry from the 5-10 year service life manufacturers claim.
//Can you say the same?
Nope, I use the bulbs for lighting and they burn out often. One lasted 1 day.
//And at the same time, I’ve used less energy.
Maybe, got any measurements? I wish I had left the original incandescant bulbs in to get a baseline power usage. As it is I have no metric with which to compare. Do you?
//Did I mention the fact that a coal power plant spews out more mercury to produce the power to light an incandescent bulb than what a CFL does?
Maybe it does, but the mercury from that broken CFL is in you bedroom, or worse yet, the kids bedroom. If you can’t see the difference there’s nothing more I can say.
//That being said, I would personally rather have a source of light that doesn’t use mercury either, like LED offers.
You can get some dim ones for from $80-$160. They are not yet a replacement for traditional lighting, although they now are good for flashlights,
//The nice thing about the new legislature is that it’s NOT FORCING YOU TO USE CFLs!!
According to Wikipedia it’ll take em off the market by 2014.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_Energy_Act_of_2007
This just gets better and better. Not wanting to appear resistant to change at an insane level, I ventured to my local big box store and purchased a package of 65W CFL to replace two incandescent bulbs in my kitchen. I bought the kind that are encased in a normal looking bulb because I have recessed lighting. Cost of 2 bulbs in one package: $11.00.
I screwed the bulbs in. The light was somewhat bluish, more in one bulb than the other. One of the bulbs made an annoying buzzing sound. Thinking perhaps it was defective, I drove back to the big box (so we’re talking 2 trips now of about 9 miles each, roundtrip) and exchanged the bulbs for a new package. I put them in and guess what? Both glow bluish, and both buzz loud enough to be noticeable. So now I have to drive back to the big box, where I will get a refund and purchase the incandescent ones that work as they are supposed to.
One other thing: These CFLs come packaged in open-resistent hard plastic clamshell packaging. Which is made of, guess what? Oil. And they are made in and shipped from, guess where? China.
I’d love to see an analysis of the carbon emissions from the production of these bulbs, the packaging required (can’t use cardboard due to risk of breakage & mercury), and the manufacture and shipping from China, a country not exactly reknowned for its consumer product safety. Can you say lead paint on kids’ toys?
ALAN SAID:
What a bunch of fools. Throwing away Earth’s future because someone’s telling you what to you.
Here’s a clue. Gas prices are nearing $4. Electric costs are going up. SHUT UP and accept that we’re running out of resources or enjoy it when all the lights go ouy.
_____________________________
Alan you douschebag go fall in a well.
Just because gas prices are rising doesn’t mean all the lights are gonna go out. Newsflash genius: We have alternative forms of energy. What about nuclear, coal, wind, solar?
Sam 1, Alan 0
ALAN SAID:
What a bunch of fools. Throwing away Earth’s future because someone’s telling you what to you.
Here’s a clue. Gas prices are nearing $4. Electric costs are going up. SHUT UP and accept that we’re running out of resources or enjoy it when all the lights go ouy.
_____________________________
Alan you douschebag go fall in a well.
Why would all the lights go out just because gas prices are rising? Newsflash genius: we have other means of energy such as wind powered, solar powered, nuclear powered, natural gas, coal, water, etc.
Willis,
Notwithstanding your claim that there is no difference in the quality of light – there IS a difference in the quality of light produced by incandescent bulbs and CFLs. The first produce a soft light similar to candlelight. The second produces a harsh, cold light w/a greenish glare. You may not notice it, but your more discerning friends and relatives do.
“The nice thing about the new legislature is that it’s NOT FORCING YOU TO USE CFLs!! ” In effect, it is forcing us to do exactly that/this legislation was pushed by a confluence of Big Govt. and Big Business working against the common good. Manufacturers, looking for higher profits (they’re allowed) have for years (beginning in the 60’s) been trying to foist ugly fluorescent lights off on the public – and always w/ resounding failure (the public has consistently rejected the lights because, even though cheaper, the quality of light is ugly).
Not having been able to foist harsh, but much cheaper to manufacture, fluorescents off on the public – Big Business has gone where they don’t belong – into Govt. – in order to guarantee higher profits for themselves -Bush gets to appease environmental despots – and we get stuck with bulbs that you prefer.
I’ve just completed a kitchen/bath renovation. New lighting has been wired at a cost of close to $10,000. Every light fixture is on a dimmer switch. The light emanating from the bulbs is soft and lovely. The fixtures will not accept CFLs and will have to be retrofitted ($$$$) in order to qualify for lighting in the brave new world where Big Govt. and Big Business collude in order to accrue more power/profits for themselves all for my “own good”. I’m not buying it.
On a personal level and on a public level this legislation is having a negative impact. The small town I live in is already being uglified w/these horrible lights. Both cheapskates and environutties display these harsh, overly bright, ugly lights w/pride.
Never mind the landfills, these CFLs are already wrecking the environment.
You people are crazy. I’ve never heard a group of people digging for every possible excuse to resist change at such an insane level.
Where to begin? First off, I have CFLs in every room of my house, and I’m alive and kicking just fine. The bulbs in my ceiling fans are exposed so I got the kind with the glass around them to make them look “normal”. The light quality is great. My wife didn’t even notice I made the switch, and my friends and family are often shocked when I tell them that they’re CFLs. It’s in your head. If you buy quality bulbs, you can’t tell the difference. There is no flicker, like some people are saying there is. There is no need to leave them on for any amount of time to realize savings. That’s a myth. One they tested on “Mythbusters” no less and came to the same conclusion. I even have them outside and they work just fine in below freezing temperatures.
As far as polution goes, yes they have mercury in them. Some of you, though, are grossly inflating the impact, though. You’re actually trying to imply that CFLs cause more waste issues when they cut down on energy consumption and landfill waste? I’ve had the same bulbs for YEARS and have put NONE of them in the trash because the haven’t burnt out. Can you say the same? And at the same time, I’ve used less energy. So which of us is making more waste? Did I mention the fact that a coal power plant spews out more mercury to produce the power to light an incandescent bulb than what a CFL does? When I do get to the point that I have to throw out a bulb, I’m far less concerned about the waste it makes compared to what some of you are doing.
That being said, I would personally rather have a source of light that doesn’t use mercury either, like LED offers. The nice thing about the new legislature is that it’s NOT FORCING YOU TO USE CFLs!! It’s just saying that bulbs need to consume less energy by that start date. That means they can create a more efficient incandescent, improve LEDs… whatever they want, and you can CHOOSE which you prefer.
My point is that you’re all bashing CFLs for a number of accusations that just aren’t true. Some are, like the mercury content and the fact that they CAN be ugly if you don’t get the bulbs with a cover on them. But the benefits outweigh the costs by a huge margin!
C’mon ppl, the answer is clear… LEDs…
I’ve heard of being argumentative, but bneing stubborn and pigheadded is no way to go, and filing single file into the lazy line is not the best way to approach these things either.
Now go figure gas stations…
Do you think they just appeared overnight on virtually every street corner? No… Getting your recycling base closer to home calls for a demand of them.
Be proactive while we have the opportunity or we WILL see our ammenities deplenish seemingly overnight!
Also… Does your homeowners ins. cover poisining from the air will breathe?
Julie,
Your information on the homeowner’s insurance alone is priceless. Thanks.
I’m stockpiling incandescent bulbs.
To Jimmi, interesting info. I checked out the site you mentioned regarding disposal of CFLs…the closest one to my home (and I live near a large city) is more than one hour away. So I guess it’s OK to use lots of gas as long as it’s offset by my CFLs? And I have seen no explanation about why my insurance company is instructing me on how to safely dispose of these things. Well, I’m a lawyer and I can tell you why. Fear of liability. Period. What I anticipate are homeowners policies containing riders that expressly will not cover mercury poisoning, much as they don’t cover mold, unless you pay large additional premiums. Ooops, there go your savings….
Jimmi sez- Lets move to a lighting source that performs best for the intent of its need, to light our homes, not to heat them. We have heaters that are designed solely for that purpose.
—
The needs of a light source depend on it’s application. You won’t be using a CFL to light an oven any time soon, nor a microwave oven. Doing so may start a fire.
And fluorescents don’t work well in the cold, although apparently some brands work better than others.
Even in the home, they require something non-standard, a ventilated fixture. Using one in a non-ventilated fixture may start a fire.
CFLs have their place, but they do not, cannot and will not work everyplace, and no slogan, even a clever one is gonna change this.
And breakage in the home is a bad thing, mercury you know. Children and CFLs are not a good mix. How one can be horrified by mercury emissions from coal-fired plants while supporting them in the home is beyond me.
It’s better to have a choice here. Choices are good.
Oh, and to state my point here b/c I believe I got a little off track…
Lets move to a lighting source that performs best for the intent of its need, to light our homes, not to heat them. We have heaters that are designed solely for that purpose.
And as far as the new law goes, look at it like the laws for maintaining safe speeds on our highways. Although some of us are aware of the need, some still chose to speed, and risk more danger. I think thats all the intent here is; to flash the yellow lights by the yellow School Crossing signs. They’re not always in the most convenient of places, but you know deep down they’re absolutely needed.
G-Day
I think what Alan is saying about pollution from incandescent bulbs is all of the wasted electricity involved. Those light bulbs use only 3% of the electricity for lighting. 3% folks!!! And how is our electricity produced? Coal power mainly, that supports 85% of our power needs . There’s the pollution… Just think how many incandescent bulbs are being used by the 300 million plus people in America alone(5% of the world’s population)… Its staggering.
I am currently studying for an electrical engineering degree and can say with confidence that 90% of the people today don’t truly understand the mechanism of an incandescent bulb. And who would argue that most just don’t care.
So check it out…
Electricity goes thru the element in a bulb exactly the same an the elements in your electrical stove or oven. With the same result… Light and heat produced. An oven makes almost as efficient light bulb as our incandescent bulb(mini heaters) when it comes down to the mathematics. So its understandable to think that our “pretty” incandescent bulbs were somewhat catch 22s of our early discovery of electricity. Wonderfully innovative then, bad news now. Our technology has well since developed in the past 130 years. Why are we still on this ship of power wastefulness in that old technology?
Then what about the mercury poison from CFLs all here are so flamboyantly ostracizing! Mercury is released in large quantities during the burning and production of electricity for the 97% incandescent power waste. As much as 1/3 of all mercury released into the air in the US are from coal burning plants. Which becomes the air your children breathe and also enters into our food chain. CfLs are easily recyclable and the mercury rendered virtually harmless when handled properly.
So add the inefficiency numbers up and see that eliminating incandescent bulbs would be a tremendous step to saving resources, curbing pollution and keeping money in our pockets too.
And Tyrel I understand where you are coming from with the Ron Paul points. I think he’d be a great president. Our media has done everything except be honest. When has it ever, and why did they not allow him to the Fox Channel Debate? I think that Ron Paul is very smart to continue his campaigning and getting his message out to more and more Americans who really care for the future US.
But what should the solution be for this new phase out? Well roll along as planned possibly. When interests shift and more money(as in sales money) goes to the companies manufacturing the newer bulbs, we’ll see more pleasing looking designs of bulbs. LEDs will probbly be the way to go for their small size output and versatility. Due to the inexpensive nature of the incandescent bulbs now, we would probbly not see any real change due to the reasons listed here for keeping our rights to pick the bulbs we want. And comparatively speaking, we just need to get off our old couch and see we dont need the cobwebs on the underside were so used to having, and there are much nicer and comfy ones waiting for us to nuzzle into if we will only give it a chance.
Oh, here is a link to an awesome site that can tell you where you can safely deposit your CFL lights for recycling in the mean time:
http://earth911.org/search-recycle?what=CFLs&where=Dallas%2C+Texas&max_distance=100&goRecycle=
Cheers, and happy St Patrick’s Day!
I think what Alan is saying about pollution from incandescent bulbs is all of the wasted electricity involved. Those light bulbs use only 3% of the electricity for lighting. 3% folks!!! And how is our electricity produced? Coal power mainly, that supports 85% of our power needs . There’s the pollution… Just think how many incandescent bulbs are being used by the 300 million plus people in America alone(5% of the world’s population)… Its staggering.
I am currently studying for an electrical engineering degree and can say with confidence that 90% of the people today don’t truly understand the mechanism of an incandescent bulb.
So check it out…
Electricity goes thru the element in a bulb exactly the same an the elements in your electrical stove or oven. With the same result… Light and heat produced. An oven makes almost as efficient light bulb as our incandescent bulb(mini heaters) when it comes down to the mathematics. So its understandable to think that our “pretty” incandescent bulbs were somewhat catch 22s of our early discovery of electricity. Wonderfully innovative then, bad news now. Our technology has well since developed in the past 130 years. Why are we still on this ship of power wastefulness in that old technology?
Then what about the mercury poison from CFLs all here are so flamboyantly ostracizing! Mercury is released in large quantities during the burning and production of electricity for the 97% incandescent power waste. As much as 1/3 of all mercury released into the air in the US are from coal burning plants. Which becomes the air your children breathe and also enters into our food chain. CfLs are easily recyclable and the mercury rendered virtually harmless when handled properly.
So add the inefficiency numbers up and see that eliminating incandescent bulbs would be a tremendous step to saving resources, curbing pollution and keeping money in our pockets too.
And Tyrel I understand where you are coming from with the Ron Paul points. I think he’d be a great president. Our media has done everything except be honest. When has it ever, and why did they not allow him to the Fox Channel Debate? I think that Ron Paul is very smart to continue his campaigning and getting his message out to more and more Americans who really care for the future US.
But what should the solution be for this new phase out? Well roll along as planned possibly. When interests shift and more money(as in sales money) goes to the companies manufacturing the newer bulbs, we’ll see more pleasing looking designs of bulbs. LEDs will probbly be the way to go for their small size output and versatility. Due to the inexpensive nature of the incandescent bulbs now, we would probbly not see any real change due to the reasons listed here for keeping our rights to pick the bulbs we want. And comparatively speaking, we just need to get off our old couch and see we dont need the cobwebs on the underside were so used to having, and there are much nicer and comfy ones waiting for us to nuzzle into if we will only give it a chance.
Oh, here is a link to an awesome site that can tell you where you can safely deposit your CFL lights for recycling in the mean time:
http://earth911.org/search-recycle?what=CFLs&where=Dallas%2C+Texas&max_distance=100&goRecycle=
Cheers, and happy St Patricks Day!
Alan, incandescent lights CAUSE pollution? That’s an interesting statement. I think there are many other things we do as humans that CAUSE more pollution than a light bulb. Driving gasoline cars, for example – but that’s not the point of what I’m saying……..
I agree we do a lot of things that hurt and pollute the planet, but I don’t think the answer is FORCING people one way or the other, but educating them, and helping industry to produce more efficient/cleaner/cheaper alternatives. Wouldn’t you agree that if companies were making more earth friendly solutions that were the same cost or cheaper that you’d buy them? I would. I think most people would. So, we’ve solved the problem WITHOUT use of force or without taking away liberties. That’s what I’m talking about.
Daisy, I appreciate you comments, too. However, I respectfully disagree with the comment about Ron Paul being racist and not being a candidate. All those rumors were debunked months ago as un-true. If you check he’s still in the race against McCain. The reason I support the guy is because he is pro- liberty and pro-constitution. He wants to find solutions that don’t involve wars. I have YET to hear other candidates speaking strongly about that and have a long voting record that supports it. What other candidate has the word “LOVE” in their campaign logo? Only Ron Paul.
I found another video if you’re interested in checking it out. I seriously doubt you’d see something like this on TV….. it shows how closely Martin Luther King and Ron Paul are on their views. It’s shocking how similar they are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAWClI8zsH4
and…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtL3NIcAvU
Just take a look. Thanks for reading.
Alan,
Your death threats indicate that you are dangerously angry person. So far, you’ve advocated massive death to the elderly and mass suicide for those who believe in free choice. Get help Alan.
By the way, speaking only for myself here – I could be younger than you – and without a doubt, I have lots more money than you (a savings of $30 a month would hardly be of significance to me). Before you threaten to murder me for being rich, take this into account: I, in no way, would want to prohibit manufacturers from supplying the marketplace w/ugly, mercury dependent light-bulbs for your use – truthfully, I do object to their use in public places (because they create public ugliness) and I can assure you, I am fully capable of handling my objections w/out resorting to death threats. I see no reason not to allow the better product or idea win.
You, on the other hand, would impose your fears and prejudices on me and anyone else you can – and you show no hesitation against using government regulations to bludgeon freedom in favor of your fears – effectively destroying freedom of market choice and a free government all in one fell swoop.
Tyrel,
I understand Europe has followed the lead of Cuba (w/the ban) – Australia followed and now the USA.
I don’t mean to insult you, but your facts appear to be seriously dubious concerning the European restriction on incandescent bulbs; they are made even more questionable when you claim the media is ‘blackballing’ Ron Paul. I understand your implied point concerning the leftist bias of the media, however, I assure you, no one has forbidden him access to TV. The man did himself in even before he claimed that Martin Luther King was a pederast (and that was one of his lighter weight hallucinations). He’s no longer a candidate.
Essentially, I agree w/your points concerning freedom. One only needs to look at the comments left by Alan ( who presents as a fairly typical member of the “environmentalist movement”) to understand that the far Left has become throughly Fascistic. He comes out squarely against freedom of choice and advocates the massive annihilation of the elderly – all in order that he can – finally – have some clean air to breath and keep his expenses down. To put it mildly, Alan has some serious control issues.
Of course, it’s easy to see that the Alans of the world could be placed in a carefully constructed dust free environment – all contaminants removed (‘contaminants’ including all people who do not think along prescribed thought lines simultaneously dead and gone) all freedoms banished – for the greater good of the ‘environment’; all commerce destroyed; no state; no religions; one world – one thought – one hate – and, apart from the obvious catastrophes resulting from their Fascistic ideals that would certainly make them even more miserable, the fact reamains: all the Alans are innately miserable. Why? Because they started out as miseries – spoiled by parents who didn’t care enough to teach them their proper place in the Universe, and they have not one single whit of an inkling that they must change their Inner Environments .. that only in this way will they be able to understand the value of life and freedom. The Alans need to start inside and then work w/the outside. That would be a seriously effective environmental movement.
Smuggling lights and voting for someone so you can use lighting that causes pollution… LOL.
I hope you guys aren’t serious. If you actually are, I suggest suicide.
And btw, Europe is soooo fighting the way they did in WW2 that… Their allowing convicts to run over them.
http://www.gamesdog.co.uk/news/news.phtml/6902/7926/ps2-sony-uk-prisons-playstation.phtml
It also cost more money for taxpayers to keep a person in prison then to go to the best hotel in England.
Granted this is England, but it’s as relevant as morons who call the government corrupt for stopping the sale of bad lighting.
Hi everyone,
Isn’t anyone else worried about the fact that U.S. government can now TELL you which lights to use in your home? I read a comment about Europe above and was surprised. I’m an American living in Europe and I can tell you there is no such ban presently and I doubt there will be. People in Europe have seen the worst side of government out of control (WW2) and usually work pretty hard against allowing that to happen again..
Fellow Americans, with the elections approaching, we all have the chance to fix this by voting for a candidate that will put an end to all this B.S.. No joke. I found out about this guy on the web because the traditional media is black-balling him. They won’t show him on TV. Check him out for yourself and decide:
http://www.RonPaul2008.com
Anyhow, I pray we never have to have a real discussion about smuggling incandescent bulbs into the USA. It used to be a free country. Now we all live in fear….. of terrorists, drugs, crime, and now the regulators that ban things we need or want. Why don’t we let people and businesses make these decisions on their own? Why do we need the government mandating light bulbs of all things?
Oh, while the old people here make mindless rants…
The average new heater is 600-800 watts.
The average incandescent is 60 watts.
Just having 10 incandescent lights equals the cost one heater would give your bill.
Considering most houses have more then 10 lights, you’re looking at energy costs 5 times as much as leds and a heater.
I guess the 40’s didn’t teach you old people good math. Hopefully you’ll die soon and people can start caring about the planet.
AND btw, you don’t put mercury vapor where you’d eat, or use anything important. That’s where LED’s come in.
Some of these arguments are just plain idiotic. Sounds to me like a bunch of old people who can’t accept change.
Well, enjoy paying $6 per gallon of gas. Enjoy $500-$1000 per month on energy bills.
BTW, switching to leds has saved me $30 per month on energy. Even though local areas has gone up $20 per month.
What a bunch of fools. Throwing away Earth’s future because someone’s telling you what to you.
Here’s a clue. Gas prices are nearing $4. Electric costs are going up. SHUT UP and accept that we’re running out of resources or enjoy it when all the lights go ouy.
I have mixed feelings also about compact fluros because of the mercury content and that they really aren’t an equal replacement for the incandescent globes most of us grew up with. I do think there is a place for them however. Many people do not know that they need to be left on for several hours to realise the energy saving potential and long life of bulbs. With this in mind I designed a lamp which is beautiful and soothing when lit, uses compact fluros and provides a wonderful ambient light for any room. Here is my website if this blog permits such links: http://www.simplybeautifulspaces.com.au
I use CFLs in my outdoor fixtures here in VT with many nights going down below zero. Guess what? They turn on when it’s freezing cold and they stay on.
There are definitely better brands out there. I’ve purchased some that buzz and have a horrible color. I’ve gotten others that are quiet and and look almost like a regular bulb. Unfortunately, they don’t dim and the current dimmable CFLs suck. I hope LED technology advances quickly.
Daisy said: This latest ban from the same clueless folks who banned the most reliable glass thermometer. Why the thermometer ban? Because the good ones, just like the CFL’s, were made of glass and contained — dadadadum — MERCURY!
—-
One would think the same laws would apply to CFLs and any fluorescent as they all contain mercury. Don’t think they’ll come up with a mercury free version either as mercury vapor emits the UV radiation that causes the phosphor coating to fluoresce. No mercury, no light.
I was expecting a bunch of self-righteous pro-CFL bulb blather when I found this site. What I found was that I’m not crazy. Other people seem to agree that this new legislation is nothing but control-the-people with senselessness. And all you people who want to get rid of the much-beloved incandescent light bulb, are you aware that if you break one of these funky new bulbs, you must (1) open windows and leave the room for 15 minutes (according to my insurance company, which is no doubt already bracing itself for claims from mercury poisoning) (2) use gloves to clean up the mess, and (3) take the breakage to a hazardous waste disposal site. Good God, who is ever going to do that? What if it’s in your baby’s room? What if you drop a whole box of them? I see lawsuits on the horizon. I’m going to stockpile.
“Fuck the fascist state-I’ll order my warm incandescent bulbs online from overseas-after I finish what I intend to stock-pile.”
You wouldn’t be thinking of ordering from Europe, by any chance? Seems that it is as it ever was: Europe, is way ahead of us in the Fascistic department. The incandescent light is over over there.
If socialism itself doesn’t end up destroying Europe, they’ll gag themselves on the sanctimonious stench of their socialistic self-righteousness.
Get over it and go to Walmart (even though they are the Big Promoters of these CFL’s, they still offer bargains on incandescent bulbs) and stockpile away while you still have the opportunity.
Great point, Carl.
This latest ban from the same clueless folks who banned the most reliable glass thermometer. Why the thermometer ban? Because the good ones, just like the CFL’s, were made of glass and contained — dadadadum — MERCURY!
Probably within a week of this damned bill being signed in December, we paid an electrician over $8,000 for having installed a combination of 19 recessed and task lighting fixtures in our newly renovated kitchen. We also paid a small fortune for some gorgeous pendant lights for the kitchen. The same guy is just about ready to finish the electrical work in the master bath. And then we’ll pay him again. Everything is on dimmer switches. Everything is beautiful. There is no way in Hell that I’m EVER going to replace good lights with ugly lights. I’m stockpiling a lifetime’s worth of incandescent light bulbs. Something tells me that Bush and Gore will be doing the same.
I think there is a vast problem people are overlooking. The “wasted” energy of incandecent lightbulbs doesnt have to be wasted at all. Especially in colder climates the additional watts used in conventional lightbulbs makes HEAT! That’s right, the same heat we might get from say oh a 1000watt electric floor heater or natural gas from a furnace in our basements. So when people see the 24watt flourecent vs the 100watt lightbulb keep in mind that you lose ALL of that heat energy (since flourecents dont generate much if any heat). So would you rather see a higher gas heating bill or electricity bill?
Also note that the flourecent lights “flicker-on” This flickering is due to the activation energy required to get the light started up. This energy is typically quite high. So unless you turn on a flourecent bulb and leave it on for at least a few minutes the benefits arent noticable and can infact be more power consuming if you put them in places like closets, garages, bathrooms, etc where you are turning lights off and on quickly.
I wish people would look into the fundamentals more closely. As for the southern states that dont see cold winters, I guess it has it’s benefits… but to ban them completely seems foolish to me.
I just bought a new light fixture.
It comes equipped with what I assume is a current limiter. According to the insert it’s required by the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Interesting thing is, it does not work with fluorescents (such as CFLs).
So on one hand exiting law requires that light fixtures work only with incandescents, and on the other hand some other law is gonna ban said incandescents. We will all eventually be sitting in the dark folks. Anyone who thinks law written by idiots is gonna solve any problem is probably feeding from the pork barrel.
One more thing, CFLs can’t be used in ovens, microwave ovens, anyplace really cold (like outdoor lighting in the cold states), in unventilated fixtures (as most are) or in a wide range of common environments. You should read the warnings on the packaging.
Is anybody here living in the real world? The law is idiotic and unworkable on the face of it, with or without the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005.
I had several of these throughout my home. I had to take them all out and replace with incandescent bulbs. It turns out that these are added to my sons and my list of migraine triggers.
F*** the government and F*** the law. I think people with more kids should pay higher taxes because they utilize national resources. Improve public transportation so we can drive less and saves gas. Bring troops home from Iraq and save $20 billion a week. School teachers, Police and firefighters are over paid and the Teacher’s union is worst than Terrorist.
What about the cost of disposal associated with the mercury in fluorescent bulbs? What if one brakes in your house? The mercury is in vapor form!
I hate fluorescent bulbs!
wow-how great these Frankenstein things will look in crystal chandeliers! Never mind the mercury toxicity -what about the stress and eye strain these horrendous things cause-not to mention the cadaverous glow they give human skin. How do they manage in Europe? Hint -they put lights on timers! What about walking more or perhaps banning SUVs. Fuck the fascist state-I’ll order my warm incandescent bulbs online from overseas-after I finish what I intend to stock-pile.
Well in the time scale of things, it wasn’t long ago when we were using gas for lighting, and before that candles. Time to move on to newer better techs, new problems may occur, but some bright spark will one day find a solution. And of course when mass produced, it will be cheap as chips.
It has some potential, but the bulbs won’t last as long advertised. They get abused and their color shifts, and THEN they provide a another trash problem! The Fluorescent bulbs being the biggest problem because, the last time I checked, they still contain mercury(although less). How long before they get outlawed?…
I really like the new LED lights. Although most of the LEDs out their right now are too blue, LED color can be changed. Too bad they are so expensive right now.
It’s actually not a bad thing. I’ve been using the new bulbs and they really last a lot longer. It’s nice for me because I hate having to change the bulbs in my bathrooms 🙂