Replies

Who here has read, or even seen, Subtitle B of the Energy Independence and Security Act? It's not a blanket ban on incandescent lights. It establishes efficiency requirements for general service lamps, while excluding 22 other categories of lights. The light in your oven or fridge? It's safe. The infrared lamp you use to keep your herps toasty? It's safe. The bug light that zaps your skeeters? Safe. Your "plant lights?" Safe, but the DEA wants to have a word with you. The spotlight you've got focused on the painting of grandma? They're not gonna touch it. The 3-way in your living room? It's safe. Anything under ~35 watts or over ~150 watts? Safe.

There's more details in the bill; the one I like best is a clause through which certain excluded bulb types fall under a stricter regulatory regime if they exceed DOE-modeled sales for one year. So if you all do as you're threatening and start buying incandescents by the truckload, you're just going to increase the scope of the regulation and make it harder for those of us who don't hoard light bulbs.

Anything under ~35 watts or over ~150 watts? Safe.

Well, I have 35 90W PAR38 recessed lights on dimmers. That means I have to buy a 30 year supply of light bulbs since the other technologies (CLR or LED) do not support dimmers. I have two not on dimmers which I can replace with CLRs, but I will have to buy about 200 of the PAR 38s to last me another 30 years.

So if you all do as you're threatening and start buying incandescents by the truckload, you're just going to increase the scope of the regulation and make it harder for those of us who don't hoard light bulbs.

A false inference, it would appear! Note that this could only apply to the hoarding of "certain excluded bulb types". So the clause is aimed at a post-ban shift in buying habits. The common light-bulb will not be available for purchase in this regime.