Light bulbs get Congressional reprieve
Good news for survivalists and others who’ve been hoarding incandescent light bulbs — Congress has given the 19th Century technology at least one more year of shelf life.
Let there be cheap light, said Thomas Edison, who perfected the production of the incandescent bulb more than 70 years after its invention.
Traditional light bulbs (the kind featured over a cartoon character’s head when he gets an idea) were marked for extinction via a 2007 law that banned their manufacture and sale after Jan. 1, 2012. Congress’ light bulb reprieve was tucked into a 1,200-page omnibus spending bill passed by Congress Thursday night.
This was odd legislation considering the replacement technology, compact fluorescent lamps, while much cheaper to operate, are far more expensive and contain chemicals toxic to humans.
I personally like CFLs, but many hate them, saying the light they produce is too unnatural or even gives them headaches.
But, the CFL on my porch has been on non-stop for at least two years.
Newer technology, LED lightbulbs, are even more expensive, but are even cheaper to operate and provide better light. I have a 12-watt led lightbulb that retails for about $25, but is supposed to last years and save enough energy to eventually pay for itself. It provides the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent, but takes a disconcerting half-second to light my bathroom.
Since many manufacturers have quit making the uber-cheap incandescent bulbs, their days are probably numbered no matter what Congress does next year. America’s last traditional light bulb plant closed last year, effectively shipping 200 jobs overseas.
Hmmmm … maybe making laws that dictate what consumers can and can’t buy in the Home Depot lighting aisle isn’t such a bright idea.
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75 comments Add your comment
Total Confusion: Congress law did NOT ban incandescent bulbs
December 16th, 2011
2:59 pm
It only required that they use less energy. Today you can buy the ‘Eco-vantage’ bulbs which are a halogen bulb inside the glass globe that looks and works just like an old 60 watt bulb. Fully dimmable, still gets hot enough to make your Lava lamp work, produces a nice warm light, but uses only 43 Watts. Cost maybe a dollar more per twin-pack than the old kind.
rid0617
December 16th, 2011
3:00 pm
I have enough old light bulbs to last me the next 7 years or so. I refuse to buy this new one for several reasons. More expensive, does not last as long as they claim, only made in China and as for recycling, why should I spend money I do not have in this rotten economy to drive it to the nearest recycling center more than 10 miles away?
Harold
December 16th, 2011
3:05 pm
I aint gonna use these new fangled light bubs. When my reglar bub burned out and I caint buy no more, I got candles.
Oh, and the EcoVantage
December 16th, 2011
3:06 pm
Is made by the big company that owns a certain arena here in town, and is sold exclusively by the big orange store, which also is based here.
Jim
December 16th, 2011
3:11 pm
“Hmmmm … maybe making laws that dictate what consumers can and can’t buy in the Home Depot lighting aisle isn’t such a bright idea.” In the words of Leroy Jethro Gibbs: “Ya think?”
Jim
December 16th, 2011
3:12 pm
Harold: Why did you give up candles in the first place?
Mikey
December 16th, 2011
3:16 pm
As usual, conservatives are flying off the handle without the facts. The legislation never banned or ended incandescent bulbs nor did it require CFLs. It required all bulbs to meet certain energy standards. Many kinds of incandescents meet those standards and the industry developed more. You can buy them now.
As is usually the case, the fear mongering never stops to learn anything. If someone sends it in an email, it becomes a “fact” to them and soon winds up in Michelle Bachmann’s speeches.
Gov. Talmadge
December 16th, 2011
3:18 pm
The federal government is bankrupt, wasting printed and borrowed money on worthless wars, weapons, foreign aid and all sorts of other foolishness, but this is what gets the attention of the idiots in the electorate.
Recycle?
December 16th, 2011
3:24 pm
So lets all run to the recycle locations and burn gasoline to get there, using up energy, and polluting the environment as well to get it there. Or, we can do curb side recycling so the pollution belching trucks that pick it up, stop go, stop go, can be running around all day using energy and belching pollution. And then we can use energy and belch pollution at the recycle processing plants to recycle the stuff. Recycling mostly is just a feel good mechanism for the left wing libs. It has some limited validity in limited areas, but overall really is BS.
Mark
December 16th, 2011
3:30 pm
The law should have been written to continue to allow the sale of the traditional energy inefficient bulbs, but only in pet stores, and then only if packaged together in the dog aisle with the Cone of Shame.