According to an article in USA Today, Americans are starting to stockpile incandescent light bulbs in preparation for the government’s ban that starts in January of 2012.
A bill signed by President George Bush, back in 2007, makes it illegal for companies to manufacture 100 watt incandescent light bulbs after January, 1 2012. The ban will gradually phase out all incandescent bulbs, and you will no longer be able to buy them after 2014.
The move was made to appease environmental lobbyists that somehow think mercury filled bulbs are better for the environment.
The new CFL light bulbs have already been linked to a number of health problems including fatigue, eye strain, and migraine headaches. The Light bulbs are so hazardous to your health that some manufactures have started to label the boxes with warnings on how to deal with a broken bulb. In fact, some states now require you to recycle these bulbs at special facilities, because of the large amount of mercury in each bulb.
I’ll admit it. I made the switch. I just bought in because a local store was selling them for $1 each. I bought one for every fixture in my house a couple of years ago. I’ve changed one since then. Considering that my entire basement and my kitchen were all lighted with florescent lighting, anyway, I figured that the mercury issue was nill. Hell, I remember playing with mercury as a kid when my thermometer broke. I did see an immediate, significant decrease in my electric bill after replacing all of my incandescents. If LED technology would just get somewhere then I’d happily switch to those. Till then we’re stuck with these if we want a low energy consuming lighting solution. For the record I think that the law is crap.
Even if there were energy savings with a ban:
All lights have advantages, citizens pay for the electricity they use,
there is no energy shortage justifying usage limitation on citizens,
and if there was a shortage of finite coal/oil/gas, their price rise
limits their use anyway – without legislation.
Emissions? Light bulbs don’t give out CO2 gas -power plants might.
If there is an energy supply/emissions problem – deal with the problem!
Ceolas.Net has extensive research on why the regulation arguments are wrong,
including that the supposed energy savings are not there anyway,
http://ceolas.net/#li171x
with US Dept of Energy references
Under 1% overall energy savings from a ban
.
These new flourescent lights will last longer? Nuts! I started using them about two years ago. Since then I’ve found myself replacing dead lights with about the same frequency as incandescents. Further, there are fixtures that they won’t fit because they are taller, and they don’t work well with dimmer switches. Some specifically say “indoor use only”, though the only place I use 100 watt bulbs is in outdoor lighting near doors and pathways. In my county, these must be disposed at special hazardous waste facilities, which have limited hours and long lines of vehicle waiting for drive-through disposal. Heaven forbid if one breaks and I have to call a haz-mat team for cleanup! As for any savings on the electric bill, that evaporates with regular rate increases approved by the state regulatory agency. Maybe these bulbs have a place as an energy option, but as mandatory government fiat, I think they are as misconceived as MTBE in gasoline, and we know how well THAT has worked out.
Over here in Europe we have been using these for years, they are perfectly fine, give just as much light and save a ton of money on electric! We just dispose of ours by putting them in the bin…
As for LED’s getting there – it is now possible to get 1W CREE LED’s and SMD’s. They give off just as much light as normal bulbs at a fraction of the running cost. They even plug into the same light fittings so no expensive rewiring.
LED is the way forward, if people are using them in hydroponic set ups then Im quite confident they are bright enough to use around the home!
Led lights (cree’s etc) have a horrible colour cast either blue or yellow in my experience. And you should not dump them in the regular trash as it will cause a toxic mercury buildup problem at the land-fill.
“Over here in Europe we have been using these for years, they are perfectly fine, give just as much light and save a ton of money on electric! We just dispose of ours by putting them in the bin…
As for LED’s getting there – it is now possible to get 1W CREE LED’s and SMD’s. They give off just as much light as normal bulbs at a fraction of the running cost. They even plug into the same light fittings so no expensive rewiring.
LED is the way forward, if people are using them in hydroponic set ups then Im quite confident they are bright enough to use around the home!”
These cfl bulbs also cause UV rashes and migraines in some people. They also emit electrosmog which interferes with radio reception. These new cfl bulbs are a thoroughly bad idea.
RE LEDs in the coments…
LEDs – like CFLs before them- have recently been found to have serious home
breakage and disposal concerns, having lead, arsenic and toxic vapor content,
according to University of California (Davis and Irvine) research
http://ceolas.net/#li20ledx
They suggest wearing safety protection when LED breakage occurs and
that the bulbs should be recycled.
They also maintain that there was insufficient product testing
before LED bulbs came onto the market. There was a law that was supposed
totake effect on January 1 that would have mandated such testing, but
it was opposed and blocked by industry groups, and has been put on hold…
We are no longer a free people and this is just another proof! I can never forgive Bush for outlawing the incadescent bulb, along with the loss of many other freedoms. Obama is not one wit better.