The United States is on the verge of a lighting revolution that will oust the traditional incandescent in favor of more energy efficient (and less polluting) alternatives. Are you ready?Less polluting? Do you remember what you have to do if you break one of these in your home? You have an instant toxic waste dump.
On Jan. 1, nationwide, a new federal law means the 100-watt incandescent will start disappearing from store shelves. Instead, an expanding line of alternative bulbs will be sold bearing new nutrition-like labels on their boxes. The labels will tout a bulb's lumens, a measure of brightness, rather than its wattage, a measure of energy use. They will also estimate its yearly energy cost.
Republicans were supposed to try and pass a repeal of the 100 watt lightbulb ban, but so far I haven't seen any sign of action. I wonder if they'd pay attention if 20,000 people showed up on the steps of the Capitol with curly-fry CFL's in their hands poised and ready to smash them all around Capitol Hill?
Then let them tell us they're "less polluting".
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2 comments:
You can't place a CFL in a light fixture that uses a dimmer switch -the CFL will just turn off.
Another thing about CFL bulbs is that their brightness decreases over their lifespan. I've replaced several CFL bulbs that -while they technically were still 'alive' -their brightness had decreased to the point where you couldn't even read by them, whereas an incandescent bulb is at 100% brightness until the instant it blows.
So when someone tells you that the CFL they're selling lasts twice as long as an incandescent bulb, realize that the CFL will be emitting a fraction of it's original brightness for most of that time.
The laws regulating light bulbs and toilets need to be repealed ASAP.
Well Rick, it's a strange world that would ban the simple safe versatile cheap
incandescent light bulb, given the problem of CFLs with radiation and
mercury concerns, LEDs with lead and arsenic concerns
(The temporarily allowed Halogen replacement incandescents still being different and costing much more)
Light bulb regulations give less than 1% in overall US energy savings, from Dept of Energy own figures
( ceolas.net/#li171ax )
Much greater and more relevant savings of actual “energy waste” comes
from power plant and grid changes, and from preventing the unnecessary
usage of products eg night lighting in buildings,
than from preventing the personal choices of the products that people
want to use.
More on why energy efficiency regulations are the wrong way towards using energy efficiently,
and why its really about profits for lobbying manufacturers, with documentation
ceolas.net
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