Remember the Bulb Ban coming Up!

[MEKer]

Pardon the length of this. And this is not for political responses. This is just a "Hey, remember what's coming up next year." in case you forgot as I do not want TB'ers to become inadvertent CRIMINALS!



2007 Energy Bill - Are They Phasing Out or Making Incandescent Bulbs Illegal?

"QUESTION:
Are the manufacturing and/or the importing of incandescent light bulbs going to be illegal starting in 2012?

ANSWER: "Yes" and "No".

Unless the law gets repealed or groundbreaking new technology emerges besides the the GE High Efficiency Incandescent (HEI) which it promised and failed to deliver by 2010, the answer is “yes” for general use 100 Watt incandescents in 2012, and "yes" for 75 and 60 Watt bulbs by 2014, but “no” for many types of other incandescent bulbs even after 2014."


You can find about all you want to know on light bulbs here:
Incandescent light bulb: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

Fascinating Discussion here:
An end of an era – the incandescent light bulb | Watts Up With That?

And the Feds mean business...heres part of the mandatory policy:
A May 7, 2010, Energy Department document warmly titled “Guidance on the Imposition of Civil Penalties for Violations of EPCA Conservation Standards and Certification Obligations” details the penalties that await anyone who dares to sell Edison bulbs once they become contraband under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act:

The Department will seek the maximum civil penalty against manufacturers and labelers that knowingly distribute products that violate the federal energy and water conservation standards – $200 per unit distributed in commerce. We believe the maximum penalty is appropriate and necessary to provide the greatest possible deterrence. Such violations directly undermine the EPCA regulatory regime, preventing consumers from achieving energy and cost savings intended by the program.

So there you go, you BULB-HOARDERS! Can I get a job as a Bulb Cop? Can I get a reward for turning someone in for using a 100 watter? Don't think USERs cannot get into trouble and its just against manufacturers/sellers and uh...labelers....

Anyway, just a reminder. And we'll see how it all plays out.

[jaywa]

I know exactly where they can put their non-conforming blubs... glass end first.

[Smokin' Toaster]

I'm bulding up a stash of incandescents. People will crave them, and I'll become the modern day Al Capone of incandescent bulbs. (evil laugh)

[emor]

Originally Posted by MEKer

And this is not for political responses.

Good luck with that.

[BogeyBass]

Oh boy a world full of crappy florescent lights.

I will begin hoarding.....tick ......tick ....tick ......Now

I see a wonderful market 2020 ish for "Vintage" lamps

[emor]

Linked to one of your links:
Swapping my lights: fantastic! | Watts Up With That?

I've been wanting to research LEDs for an upcoming kitchen remodel.

I'm interested in doing what I can (within my budget) to conserve and live a green lifestyle. I like that the CFLs save energy and didn't particularly mind the increased initial cost. But then I heard a story about cleaning up after breaking one (probably on NPR). Yikes.

I use a combination of bulbs around my house and woodshop.
Any task lighting that I use where there is a chance of breakage, gets the old fashioned incandescent.

Meanwhile, I have half a dozen spent CFLs waiting for proper disposal.

[Raven2k360]

The house I'm living in now has a dimmer switch installed for the main ceiling light in the basement (where I live); I swapped the incandescents to the CFLs, but that one bulb socket controlled by the dimmer switch takes out a CFL every 3-6mos, even when I keep the switch on max (no dimming). So far the Inc. bulb has been in there probably about the same amount of time with no issues. Not my house, so not gonna swap out the switch...lol.

[MEKer]

now, now---no politics. BOTH sides are at blame here. We'll see who rescues the situation tho, hmmm? Lets just keep our eyes open and NO NAME-CALLING.

Man, I gotta lot of bulbs stashed tho---<snicker>---and if I break one I don't have to call enviro-clean-up squads either.

In fact, yeah, I think I'll break one right now!

[Bloodhammer]

Why the love for incandescents? Those things suck IMO.

[hdracer]

So now I have to hoard bulbs AND ammo?

[macaroni tony]

I don't get all the hype over light bulbs one way or the other. I just use skylights. IOW just cut holes in your roof. If you rent, tell your landlord to take a hike if they don't like it. It's better for teh earf. Teh earf!

[MEKer]

Originally Posted by hdracer

So now I have to hoard bulbs AND ammo?

LOL! Right on, right on, bro.....

[spade2you]

Come back Mr. Bulbous!

[Stinsok]

Our wonderful ruling class!

[OldDog52]

I took the plunge and converted 80% of my house lighting to CFL. What a joke. All of them turn on fairly dim, then gradually get brighter. In one room, they turn on and after a half second of bright, they get VERY dim, then gradually reach full output over a couple minutes. I got a 3-way CFL that doesn't work in a 3-way lamp that works fine with an incandescent 3-way bulb.

When comparing light output, give the CFL a few minutes to settle in before you decide it's not putting out the rated light.

If you don't like the bluish warehouse-lighting flourescent look, stick to "soft white" CFLs. They put out a warmer light that's kinda-sorta like a soft white incandescent bulb.

[Pilgrim]

Like every such law, if it actually goes into effect it will be years from now.

What will happen next is a wave of public complaints - leading to a "slipped" enactment date - during which the law will be modified and softened.

I'm not worried.

[bongomania]

I prefer not to get hung up on old technologies or old ideologies. Many people get stuck on both of those, and cling tooth and nail, screaming all the while.

[DerHoggz]

I personally have always had a certain affinity to 100-watters. Not bright enough, stick in a good old 100.

[seanm]

I replaced the incandescent light in the garage with a fluorescent light. Wow, what a difference! So much more light. Then winter came, and the cold snap came, and the fluorescent light would not come on. So I had to put in an incandescent so I could actually see on cold mornings. Wiring lights in an unheated garage when it is -30C out is *not* fun.

We have quite a few CFLs in the house, we where very early adapters. But they are not for everything. Anywhere you need to read you either need a *lot* of CFLs, or an good ol' light bulb.

And as for being green, do you really think most people will dispose of the CFLs correctly? Or just toss them in the garbage?

[Webtroll]

if someone made a better bulb wouldn't consumers gravitate towards it without government intervention? i'd like to think we're collectively smart enough for that but seeing the actions of many of my fellow men i'm not so sure.