I was surprised to read yesterday that incandescent bulbs are being phased out in the United States. I was aware that they were being phased out in other countries but somehow missed the news that they were being phased out here. Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 signed into law by President Bush most incandescent bulbs will be phased out between 2012 and 2014. This will leave CFLs as the main lighting option. The goal of the legislation is to increase energy efficiency.
I like CFLs but I still only have a couple in my apartment. This is mainly because the apartment I live in supplies most of the bulbs and they aren’t CFLs. I just use CFLs in a couple of lamps. When incandescent bulbs are no longer available the conversion to CFLs could be expensive for some people although they will eventually save money in the form of lower electric bills. Even though I think everyone should use CFLs I’m not sure if I agree with giving people no other choice. What do you think?
I’m going to say it’s time! Yes you save money only over time, but I’m guessing the price of CFLs will come down rapidly as the demand increases.
The CFL prices should come down but we will see. Since the cost should be spread out as the old bulbs burn out price shouldn’t be that big of an issue.
The government, nor you have any right to tell anybody “ITS TIME”. there are people who have money that can afford to use incandescents. if u like cfls, go for it. If anybody likes incandescents, they should be able to use them too. restricting choice is stupid. if u dont enjoy freedom, mayb u outa move to a cuba where u have no freedom at all on how to live ur life.
We’ve switched over probably 75% of the bulbs in our house. It saves us money and quite honestly, the technology has improved dramatically over the past five years in terms of how quickly they light up and the hue that they emit.
I don’t have a problem with the quality of light they emit although I know some people do.
@MONEY BEAGLE, If cfls have really improved, then consumers will buy them with out government forcing them on us. u say that cfls save u money? That depends on a lot of things. Most of use a lot of electrical things in our homes that contribute to the rise of ur light bill AND when ur lighting company decides to raise ur light bill, in the long run, u aint saving squat. Government is suppose to REPRESENT us, not tell us what to do.
I do have some in my home but would like to have the choice of
being able to purchase both kind. The CFL’s look funny in some
lamps that we use.
They are supposed to be making new CFL bulbs that are more decorative but I haven’t actually seen them yet.
I do have a couple chandeliers that require incandescent bulbs for a prettier visual look. I hope they don’t eliminate those kinds, or plan to make it in a decorative CFL as you say. My chandeliers would like pretty wonky with one of those twirly CFLs! In everything else, I use CFLs.
They do say some specialty bulbs will be allowed but I’m not sure if that includes chandelier bulbs. They do make CFL chandelier bulbs, they have a shell over them so you don’t see the twirly part.
I hate the kind of light the CFL bulbs emit. They also take quite a long time before they emit the full amount of light, so you step in a dark room at first. And third, they contain mercury and electronic parts, so it is dangerous to put them in the garbage. How many people are actually going to dispose of them correctly?
I don’t agree with phasing out incandescents. CFLs are widely available now so if people aren’t buying them en masse, it’s because they don’t want to.. So, instead of saying the customer is always right we’re going to shove something down their throats. :S
I personally hate CFLs with a passion only because of this attitude that I am basically taking a dump on the planet if I don’t use them and use incandescents instead. I wonder who truly benefits from this shift. I’ll use them in the hallway/garage and places like that where light quality doesn’t matter, but otherwise i’ll wait for something that’s truly better (maybe LEDs down the road) before I switch.
This switch should help make better and cheaper LED lights available sooner. Also they are apparently coming out with halogen incandescent bulbs that will be efficient enough to meet the new requirements.
Some ppl say that CFLs have improved but i dont see it. incandescents give off much nicer and pleasent lighting. what some ppl dont realize is there are many places in ur house where cfls dont work, they’re probably toxic with mercury (Not sure about the mecury part, i’l have to check that out more) AND many of them dont last, Not even close to the life span that they say it does. If cfls were really improving like some of u claim, consumers would buy them voulentarily, rather than having these idiot liberals shove them down our throats. theres no proof that cfls will save the planet or stop global warming. anyone who thinks that needs to check themselves into a mental institute
Since I’ve written this post I have found out more information. Incandescent bulbs won’t be totally phased out. As long as they meet the new efficiency standards they will still be allowed. Apparently they have developed some special incandescent bulbs that will meet the new standards. I haven’t seen them so I can’t comment on the quality and I don’t know what they’ll cost but my guess is they will be more expensive than regular bulbs.
sometimes congress confuses people. i dont understand why they say that incandescents are being phased out because thats actually not true, just like u said. they should just say that after 2014, light bulbs must require efficiency to stay on the market. Is a matter of fact, theres a website that i went on where it said that “The United States Isnt Phasing Out Incandescents” Halogen bulbs is one out of a few more incandescents that will be available. Also, anything thats under 40 watts (for decorative purposes) above 100watts, flood light versions, 3way, colored lamps, appliance lighting and rough service lighting are not being banned. As far as the halogen bulb, i could be wrong but i have the feeling that once they become more wide spread and more efficient, the CFL business will be toast. Only because most ppl dont like them. we’l see what happens. I’m not sure about LEDs but their lighting quality has a long way to go if ppl are gona buy them. Sure, they save u tons of money and last longer but their lighting quality sucks. For now, LEDs look like they look better for bike lights or head lights. Not house lighting. For anyone whos interested, this is the website that i was referring to b4, information about the ban or whats NOT being banned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs
Hey Mike — In regard to the “idiot liberals” who are “shoving this down your throat” . . . the law phasing out incandescent bulbs was signed by your old buddy George W. Bush, NOT by a liberal. Just thought I would correct your misquote.