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Posted on 07/22/2011 7:25:32 AM PDT by blog.Eyeblast.tv
Light bulbs are a household item that Americans don't think about that frequently. So a lot of them were surprised to learn that the government had mandated a phase out of certain types of bulbs three years ago. The legislation set new light bulb efficiency standards that would effectively ban the production and sale of the traditional incandescent bulbs and essentially force consumers to make the switch over to compact fluorescent bulbs. MRCTV went to Capitol Hill and asked folks what they thought of the new bulbs and whether the government has any business telling Americans which one they should be using to light their homes.
(Excerpt) Read more at mrctv.org ...
One incandescent bulb company will actually have a new “100-watt” incandescent bulb that meets the new standards.
So, you won’t actually have to switch to CFL or LED bulbs if you don’t want to.
Of course, they will cost more. But they won’t have mercury, or cost $15 a bulb.
I’m getting ready to start switching over to LED bulbs; the CFLs have saved me a lot of money, but the LEDs will save more, and will last forever, and have a nicer light.
I’ll start with bulbs that are on a lot, and are in places that are hard to reach.
I oppose the lightbulb law, it is an example of government overreach. But I don’t think the result is going to be as bad for consumers as a lot of people have suggested.
For example, a lot of people don’t know that the law didn’t ban incandescents, so they don’t know that companies have found a way to build an incandescent bulb that meets the new requirements. I think both Westinghouse and GE have a new bulb ready for the market.
LED bulb makers targed 100-watt brightness
Probably expensive for now, but if it lasts 25 times as long, and uses 1/4th the power, it will save money.
Using 14 watts of power instead of 100, over it's 25,000 hour life, it will save (86*25,000)=2150 kwhours of energy. At 10 cents/kwhour, that translates to a savings of $215, or about $8.60 a year.
And assuming an incandescent costs .25, and the LED $40.00, the difference in price is (.25*25)-$40, or $34, so you can make up that cost in 4 years.
Of course, I'm hoping the LED price comes down to $15 or so -- $40 is a pretty steep investment when multiplied by 20 or more bulbs.
My regular old light bulbs last a long time. -
and when I get an idea in my head; I’m not crazy about it being one of those squiggly light bulbs. That just isn’t right; the idea symbol has always been the plain old light bulb.
I like the comment the woman made at the end....I’m pro-choice on light bulbs. :)
a lot of people don't know that the law didn't ban incandescents, so they don't know that companies have found a way to build an incandescent bulb that meets the new requirements
My wife can not use the cfl’s as she has seizures. The flicker rate in the cfl’s give her intense headaches. But that is not as important to the government authoritarians as is their control of peoples lives.
“but the LEDs will save more, and will last forever”
I have a rude surprise for you — they won’t. I bought a 5 watt LED floodlight at Walmart for $20.00. The electronic circuitry inside the bulb that transforms 110 VAC into low voltage DC that LED’s need failed within 6 months. I’ve had similar problems with the curly CFL bulbs. Wonderful Chinese crap.
They have a nicer light than the CFLs.
You have to guy them from one of the major LED manufacturers. Just like the CFL bulbs, you can get cheap ones that break easily.
I had one CFL I was using outside, and while the CFL itself still worked fine, the entire screw-in base simply corroded away and fell apart. I’ve had other cheap CFLs that essentially burned their bases out, no fires yet though.
If you stick with name-brand manufacturers, the CFLs work quite well; I have some I put in many years ago that are still going strong.
The problem is that the ones that are really good are also expensive, so people buy the cheap ones and they don’t last. I think it is false advertising when the cheap brands slap “7-year-warranty” on their packages. They will actually honor the warranty — if you have the receipt and original packaging, and the company that sold them hasn’t gone out of business. But who keeps light bulb packaging around for years?
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