Also, there’s a poll at the end of this article, asking about what you might be doing for the upcoming ban in California.
On January 1st, 2011, just a few days from now, California will begin phasing out the legal sale and purchase of 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. In September of this year, GE closed their last US light bulb manufacturing plant.
Here’s a Reason.tv video on why “compact fluorescent lightbulbs” (CFLs), the favored replacement for Thomas Edison’s most iconic invention are not all that. Personally I prefer LED bulbs/lights and have successfully replaced many incandescents with LED’s in my home.
The rest of the country will begin a phaseout in 2012, as mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
This law phases out the use of incandescent light bulbs between 40 watts and 150 watts over a two-year period. Apparently China will still manufacture light bulbs at least until 2017 when they’ll disappear there too.
So the question is, what will you do?
One of my TV reporter friends asked me if I knew if people were hoarding high wattage bulbs. Since my namesake is “watts”, this seemed to be the place to ask.
Here’s the poll:
The poll is just for entertainment purposes.
If CFLs were such a good and economical idea legislation would not be needed. Legislation is needed only since we shall take a cost in order for government to save on investments.
What about my easy-bake oven?
Bad poll, the option that I believe most will do, is use what they have and then buy whatever is available at the nearest store, be it CFLs, LEDs or the next latest greatest.
Ah yes, that old CFL silliness. Here in the UK, we have to heat our homes for the majority of the year. Replacing all our light bulbs with CFLs will simply reduce the amount of heat contribution made by our lighting products. Consequently, our thermostatically-controlled central heating systems will simply burn a little more fuel to make up the difference. Hence virtually no change in fossil fuel usage in our homes, coupled with enforced use of energy-intensively manufactured, mercury-containing, short-lived, bulky, expensive CFLs. Brilliant!
No, actually.
In Germany now political steps are set to overthrow the ban.
I am sure the same will happen in the USA.
Government has to stay out of the market place.
Trail of toxin the long and shocking route of ESL’s.
http://notrickszone.com/2010/12/22/trail-of-toxin-the-long-and-shocking-recycling-route-of-esls/
LED would be great if it were possible to get more distributed sources. More than 5W in a single fitting won’t fly, but where are the 30-50W distributed fittings? Just ordered (as an experiment) some LED tape. Would love to see some cheap active lighting control, but that just seems an excuse for rip-off prices too.
LED bulbs are perhaps even worse than CFL’s. From what I have found in the marketplace, there are two types of LED bulb. The older type is basically the flashlight LED planted into a ceiling light fitting. The amount of lumens they give off is desultory. Living under such lights is like living in a tent at night, with just a flashlight for company.
I was therefore interested when a new type of LED came on the market. Although the cost was astronomical, it at least promised a luminosity comparable to halogen bulbs – no mean feat. I was able to afford one bulb, and indeed, the luminosity was impressive. Unfortunately, this wonderful state of affairs only lasted about 6 months before my investment went the same way as my bank stock. Apparently, this new type of LED suffers from overheating problems and they soon burn out.
So I bought a halogen bulb instead. Perhaps I have committed the globe to irreversible warming, but at least I can see what I’m doing. And in the end, isn’t that all that matters?
I’m very happy with halogen lamps. I use a dimmable 500W R7S. For some reason, they’re not verboten in the EU. Attention, Halogens get very hot. So they’re a nice additional heater in winter, but if you have an air conditioning fight against the heat from a halogen lamp in summer, that would be kinda wasteful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_lamp
and as James Sexton notes, I have no real reaction to a ban on incandescents – I had replaced all of mine except the GU10s before they started selling CFLs here at 50p each. I still have a couple of 60W normal bulbs un-opened from about 5 years ago.
CFLs with their phosphors, mercury, electronic circuits and massive amounts of plastic (not to mention the grotesqe overpackaging with eco-promotion, ludicrous life claims and tax subsidized rebate announcements..all transported from the other side of the world) should be subject to the same disposal requirements as CRT TVs.
I would prefer to see a $10 deposit on the miserable things to speed the transition to LEDs or other more advanced technologies. Keep the CFLs for wonderful Halloween ghoul lighting effect.
I chose the 3rd option (use up, then buy bulbs from China), but I may do some hoarding as well, although I could probably always get some from my Dad who I believe recently purchased 100 of them. He and his wife are both CAGW Believers too, which is ironic, though I think my Dad is starting to become a bit more skeptical. In my family, as in probably lots of others, the subject of CAGW/CC is taboo. Me and my wife are the renegade non-Believers.
I bought a bunch of the twisty things about 3 years ago, but I doubt I ever will again.
The LED’s seem too pricey right now.
A caution to anyone thinking of buying up stocks of the remaining incandescent light bulbs so as to keep using them. We did that here in Oz, but found that for some peculiar reason, the failure rate on those incandescents was much greater, and the life much less, than we have experienced over the past 40 years or so. How could that be, do you reckon?
P Gosselin over NoTricksZone has a great write up and links to a television report from German Public Television (NDR) that follows the toxic trail of trying to properly dispose of Energy Saving Lightbulbs (ESL’s)
” The citizens want to know if recycling companies properly handle the ESLs? To answer the question, the NDR reporter follows the entire recycling route of the ESL. What he finds is horrific.”
http://notrickszone.com/2010/12/22/trail-of-toxin-the-long-and-shocking-recycling-route-of-esls/
I’ll bet Hollywood is well prepared:
http://images.greencine.com/images/article/luke-carradine-kung-fu.jpg
Also, isn’t there a 6th option for the poll? Buying incandescents online from overseas and having them shipped to your door?
I buy a couple of cases every time I’m in Lowes and stack ’em up on the basement shelves. I counted up that we have 92 R-30’s in ceiling cans. We don’t burn them all at once of course.
So much for track lighting.
The correct answer, buy high wattage bulbs from other states, who haven’t lost their minds, online and end up not paying CA sales tax.
I already have several cases of various wattage incandescent bulbs stocked up. At .20 cents each, they are a bargain. I don’t like CFL’s although I did try them when they first came out and had bad luck with them. I love LED’s and plan to retrofit some lamps when the prices drop. I don’t use a lot of Edison bulbs, but I have one on the outside of a building – totally exposed to the elements that is going on 20 years and has never missed a beat.
The mere fact that a bunch of politicians are trying to force a product on me I do not want and make one I do like unavailable is reason enough for me. Screw the nanny state.
Have they banned candles yet?
The poll is fun, but really,.. where’s the ” fight for repeal of the government mandate”? This should be paramount and the first of many initiatives to get the Federal Government out of the equation. The problem with states like California doing it but the neighboring states not, is lightbulbs being brought across state lines.. (just like where Californias power comes from ), but making it a Federal ban, it protected and solidified Californias whacky ban. THIS is the reason the C0ngress pushed this on us. And it needs to be undone. I do not like CFL’s for everything, just like I don’t like incandascents for everything. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. I don’t remember the last time I used a 100 watt bulb for anything…
R. de Haan says:
December 27, 2010 at 11:55 am
In Germany now political steps are set to overthrow the ban.
I am sure the same will happen in the USA.
=======================================================
Yeh, well, the unstated goal has been accomplished already so no point in continuing with the farce.
In September of this year, GE closed their last US light bulb manufacturing plant.
Anthony, you may want to let us select multiple options since we are likely going to do more than one of those. I personally will probably domevery option except the one I selected (Live in the Dark). On another note: somewhere transfat has been banned?
[ snip – 1235543@Fakename.com is not a valid email address, see the policy page -moderator]
I would be curious for a poll question like this:
“How would the inability to purchase incandecent bulbs influence your vote for a Congressional candidate?”
– Not at all
– Only in a very minor way
– As one issue among several
– It would be an important factor in my vote
– It could be a decisive factor in placing my votes
For me, there are only two issues which, by themselves, could influence my vote. Incandescent bulbs is one of them. (Full body scanners being the other.) I’d be curious whether others feel similarly.
Workers in Chinese factories handling vaporized Mercury. What could possibly go wrong with that?
W. Eugene Smith, call your office.
http://www.amazon.com/Minamata-W-Eugene/dp/093826205X