Posted on 06/02/2011 4:41:59 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON--America doesn't usually have shortages. Consumers as a rule can find what they want to buy at stores or online. But in 212, days, on January 1, 2012, Americans won't be able to buy 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, the kind Thomas Edison invented and the only kind many of us know-and prefer.
That's because incandescent light bulbs are being phased out by wattage over a two-year period, starting January 2012. The 100-watt bulb will be the first to be outlawed, by act of Congress, followed by 75-watt bulbs in January 2013, and 60- and 40-watt bulbs in January 2014.
So consumers who want to stock up have seven months to buy 100-watt bulbs, 19 months to buy 75-watt bulbs, and 31 months to buy 60- and 40-watt bulbs.
The legislation outlawing the 130-year old light bulb was introduced in 2007 by then-Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat who resigned in February, and Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican. The bill was rolled into the Energy Independence and Security Act, signed by President George W. Bush in December 2007.
The reason for ending the use of incandescent bulbs is to save energy. They burn more electricity than do several newer types of bulbs.
Mr. Upton is now chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. While lobbying among Republicans for the position, he promised to try to repeal the section of the 2007 energy bill that prohibits incandescent bulbs.
"We have heard the grass roots loud and clear, and will have a hearing early next Congress," he said last December. "The last thing we wanted to do was infringe upon personal liberties - and this has been a good lesson that Congress does not always know best."
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearmarkets.com ...
tri-sodium phosphate
I am hoarding all sizes of the incandescent bulbs. I bought several 8 packs on sale at the hardware store the other day.
You can wire up 4 of them to get the same effect at lower voltage/wattage per bulb with the effect of the bulbs lasting many times longer. Wire two in series. This drops the wattage per bulb to 25W, but with two of them you're back to 50W, then wire two of the series combinations in parallel and you're back to 100 watts. Uses four bulbs, but lasts about 12 times longer than a single bulb because you're only running each bulb at 1/4 of its power rating.
True, but he would have had the (d) majority led house override his veto. I am not defending him on the signing, but it would have been totally useless to veto the bill.
I use 100 watt bulbs to keep my outside plants from freezing when the temps drop into the 20 or teens.
Here’s a question that I doubt could be answered....
Ignoring fluctuations in winter/summer, north/south...How much light is used during the day? I would guess that any calculations are assuming an even distribution of use across daytime and evening. If so, that’s certainly inaccurate.
Considering that no one really knows for sure how much energy use is attributed to lighting, but the numbers are guestimates, I think the whole thing is flawed.
Yep ... that is what I buy from Restockit. My dishes and pots have never been cleaner!
It really works....much more sparkle to the silverware; a dash in the laundry washing machine is also beneficial.
I think you missed in your list that new hot water heaters have a much lower temperature limit. I’m not 100% sure on that, but I read a lot of frugal blogs, and that has been mentioned several times by commenters when the various ‘use cold instead of hot water to wash’ suggestions come up.
I use cold and warm, but do occasionally use hot. Irks the heck out of me....
Your tax dollars are supporting the UN. Stop!
My tax dollars are returned to me. /sarc sort of.
Absolutely not true. IT MIGHT have been overridden and might not have been. We'll never know. It MIGHT have put some backbone into the Republicans whose political philosophy has been pre-emptive surrender on every liberal initiative that the left threw at them from no child left behind to the prescription drug give away.
The big advantage of LED bulbs is 1) much lower power consumption. An LED bulb with the light of a 100W incandescent bulb will consume less than 15W. 2) They have a 100,000 hour life vs 5000 for an incandescent bulb (20X longer). Further, there is no single point failure, so they can continue to be used and degrade gracefully. Again, too expensive now, but once the price drops should be great.
Guess I don’t have your problem w/well pumps; I use my bulbs for light, not heat.
Have not heard the water heater business. Must have something to do with scalding. Just pull the thing out and use cold or boil a pot or two when someone has a baby.
Scalding sounds right, but this is more about control via ‘energy consumption’. Now the new water heaters use less energy.
I prefer to wash my towels, blankets, etc in hot. I also enjoy long, hot showers. This requires *hot* water! As an adult, I’ve learned not to scald myself.
I have bought 5 years worth of DW detergent from Restockit and store it in my garage.
It is only a matter of time before the power-mad fed bureaucrats figure out that a few of us are circumventing their rules. Every consumer choice must be controlled. Every last bit of economic liberty must be quashed. Liberty is fading in this country.
“Freakin Morons”
Mega Ditto’s, both parties. I’m nearing the end of my rope with this bunch.
Right on! They ARE “incandescent heat sources” and I have used them a such several times.
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