“How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act” would ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012 in favor of energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs in the state of California. It’s about time we start making the switch.
I wonder if the bill will pass, since we at times seem to be such a stubborn society. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but we as a society need to start thinking in a way that considers our environment and our grandchildren. I’ve talked about CFL bulbs before and how they just made sense (so much so that even Walmart is on board).
Why switch to CFL bulbs you ask?
“They save money and energy,” EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said. “They are more convenient than other alternatives and come in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture.”
Also, CFLs generate 70 percent less heat than incandescent lights, Jones said.
About a fifth of the average U.S. home’s electricity costs pays for lighting, which means even if CFLs initially cost more than conventional lightbulbs, consumers will save, Jones said.
A 20-watt CFL gives as much light as a 75-watt conventional bulb, and lasts 13 times longer, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit group studying energy issues.
I think something like this could pass. Sure, people are stubborn, but manufacturers will make money on this deal, so I’m sure they’ be happy to stop producing the old ones. There may need to be some sort of relief structure to help those out who can’ afford the extra dollar. But, as there are millions of old bulbs in existence, we could hand these out for free until the manufacturers donate a percentage of their inventory to help folks out.
Ariah, read this article!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2007/02/01/wosama101.xml
California from what I’ve heard is really progressive when it comes to energy.
I shared this information when Sam posted about these light bulbs and I’ll share it again here. These new light bulbs contain mercury vapor. My three year old broke one of these and before I made it from one side of the apartment to the other when I heard the crash, she had already picked up the pieces to bring them to me. I instinctively grabbed the pieces out her hands, exposing myself, in addition to her, to the mercury. I was breastfeeding my infant at the time and had to find a way to disconnect her without touching her. I scrubbed our hands like mad, but I don’t really know how well that gets it off or how much is absorbed through the skin.
Here is a fact sheet about mercury in CFLs. It says that if you break a bulb you should open windows to let the vapor out. I didn’t do this because I didn’t know it was in the form of a vapor. It says do not touch. Well, my three year old thought that she was helping. It says don’t vacuum. What are you supposed to do if it breaks on carpet? Of course, I vacuumed, not knowing that it was a problem. Even if I did, the lack of instruction on how to get it out of the carpet makes it difficult to know what to do.
While the amount of mercury in these light bulbs is much less than old school mercury thermometers, it doesn’t make me feel better about the exposure of my family to mercury. Most people don’t know that these bulbs contain mercury much less what they should do if one breaks. People do not know that it is better to dispose of the bulbs as hazardous waste (although they are not required to). If the government is going to require people to get these bulbs they need to minimize the risk, especially for small children, and educate us on what to do. There are legitimate reasons that one might choose to use the old light bulbs, for example, in a child’s bedroom lamp. I would like to see the government supporting the development of non-toxic energy efficient light bulbs instead of putting all of their eggs in this mercury laden basket.
Wow, a ban on incadescents? What’s next, a ban on gas autos?
I hope it doesn’t pass, because if it goes in California, the rest of the US is sure to follow.
I live in an older rental home. If there is any sort of power surge almost all of our light bulbs will burn out. In fact, in a couple of rooms, they burn out extra quickly (we’re talking once a week).
I don’t have the money to buy that many expensive light bulbs. I don’t own the house, so I can’t do anything about the wiring (and if I DID own the house, I doubt we’d be able to afford to have the whole thing rewired).
Perhaps the government should concentrate on the big energy users. Help people replace their 30 yr. old fridges (and the people who have old fridges need the help. If they didn’t, they’d own a new one with an ice maker).
Maybe they could declare it a constitutional right to dry your clothes on a line (many HOA have banned the right to airdry your clothes!). Maybe they could work on planting lots of more trees to cut back on AC bills.
Maybe they should just butt out altogether!
Mama Says
Although I agree with the intent, “legislating morality” like this always makes me squirm a bit. Unintended consequences abound, such as Milehimama’s example.
Also, here’s another twist: in any place with a colder climate, the heat generation from incandescent bulbs is a good thing that helps to augment the heating bill. I know that northern Cali can get pretty cold.
I don’t think this is “legislating morality.” It’s a precaution California would be taking based on scientific evidence and economic projections that they need to reduce their energy consumption. They aren’t saying that using incandescent bulbs is wrong, just not prudent or good for the future well-being of the state.
As for the heat generation from incandescent bulbs, I’m pretty sure your house’s heating system is a more efficient producer of heat than the light bulbs, meaning that the energy consumed will produce heat more effectively through your heating system than through the heat loss in light bulbs. Otherwise we wouldn’t have heating systems, we’d just have really bright, hot bulbs heating our house.
The new bulbs, though more expensive to buy, reduce energy costs dramatically and in the mid-run, will end up saving you money (which can be applied toward a heating bill or wherever else you want to put the money). Also, a state-wide mandate like that would mean the consumption of these bulbs would go way up, dropping the price eventually.
I think Zach took care of the regulating morality question quite well. I thought about that a bit also, but realized there are plenty of things we encourage our government to regulate and this seems like one that isn’t difficult to agree with.
Indie,
Thanks for your comments. I hadn’t thought about the mercury at all. I wonder what investigation there has been into non-toxic lighting. I did read the handout you linked to which was very informative. It says that CFL’s are actually better as it relates to Mercury in the air because they take less energy production (coal, etc) which is often the cause of most of the mercury in our air. So it sounds like proper care and disposal makes CFL the best choice for Mercury avoiding as well!
The newest revision of the Title 24 law in California has already gone a long way to limit the number of incandescent bulbs you can have in a home – and for a long time, home owners were “skirting” the law by using screw-based fixtures, having the fluorescent in when the inspector came by, then took them out after they passed inspection and put in halogen or incandescent. The 2005 revisions now require the fluorescent fixtures must be a 2 or 4-pin base. They are also now requiring dimmers for the rooms they are not specifying fluorescent requirements. And dimming fluorescents is a whole other story – you have to make sure the ballasts are compatible with the dimmers and it’s a huge expense. (I work for a lighting company, so I apoligze for some of the geek speak.)
And actually, there have been some advances in the non-toxic/energy-saving light bulb world. They’ve made some good strides in the coloring of LED lighting (like fluorescent, the light output tends to be cooler and more blue, which most consider unpleasant in a room and unflattering to skins tones). The company I work for is currently working hard to develop under cabinet and interior cabinet lighting that is LED-based.
With more and more evidence of global warming, it only makes sense for us to switch out our bulbs and use dimmers. I wish it would happen faster.
I would keep your eyes out for LED lighting. It’s definately the wave of the future.
The newest revision of the Title 24 law in California has already gone a long way to limit the number of incandescent bulbs you can have in a home – and for a long time, home owners were “skirting” the law by using screw-based fixtures, having the fluorescent in when the inspector came by, then took them out after they passed inspection and put in halogen or incandescent. The 2005 revisions now require the fluorescent fixtures must be a 2 or 4-pin base. They are also now requiring dimmers for the rooms they are not specifying fluorescent requirements. And dimming fluorescents is a whole other story – you have to make sure the ballasts are compatible with the dimmers and it’s a huge expense. (I work for a lighting company, so I apologize for some of the geek speak.)
And actually, there have been some advances in the non-toxic/energy-saving light bulb world. They’ve made some good strides in the coloring of LED lighting (like fluorescent, the light output tends to be cooler and more blue, which most consider unpleasant in a room and unflattering to skins tones). The company I work for is currently working hard to develop under cabinet and interior cabinet lighting that is LED-based.
With more and more evidence of global warming, it only makes sense for us to switch out our bulbs and use dimmers. I wish it would happen faster.
I would keep your eyes out for LED lighting. It’s definitely the wave of the future.
I have been in the lighting business for 20 years and have witnessed the evolution of the CFL. What I have found that the key to liking the bulb is directly associated to the brand bulb you buy. It is all about color temperature. Some brands cast a “white” light that is not easy on the eyes – what you want to look for are bulbs that truly produce 2700K.
We sell nearly every brand out there, but I can absolutely say that what you want in your house is TCP brand. Whether you buy them from us or not is your choice but it makes me sick when I go into someones house and their yellow walls suddenly turned green – simply because of the color temp that the CFL produce.
We all want everyone to convert to CFL’s or LED’s or even the newest technology Cold Cathode Lamps (which are really cool) BUT we all need to have a good experience when we plug them in AND actually like the light output. If any of you need or want to learn more go to http://www.soslightbulbs.com then click the home icon – we have put some pretty informative stuff on there.