IN WITH THE NEW BULB, OUT WITH THE OLD

This is not the most important measure in this fall's anticipated Energy Bill fight, but it is worthy of attention.

Lights out; Future of incandescent bulb dims as energy-efficient options gain power
Stephanie I. Cohen, August 24, 2007 (MarketWatch from Dow Jones)

WHO
Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., author of legislation to ban the incandescent bulb; Royal Philips Electronics, manufacturer.

click to enlarge

WHAT
Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb is far less efficient than the compact florescents lightbulbs (CFLs) now available. Switiching over to CFLs would save enormous amounts of electricity and stop equally enormous amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced for electricity to power them. This would save consumers much more than they will spend on the new CFLs. Rep. Harman proposes to legislate incandescents out of use.

WHEN
- Harman’s bill would stop the sale of incandescents after 2012. The legislation requires another step up in efficiency in 2020.
- CFLs have been around a long time but have only eliminated negatives like poor light, noise and excessive toxins in the last decade.
- 2012/14 requirements save consumers 30% on bills. 2020 requirements save consumers 75% on bills.

WHERE
England and Australia have already set phase-out dates for the incandescent.

WHY
- The 2007 House energy bill includes Harman’s proposal. The Senate’s version does not. This is anther issue to be hammered out in the conference process next month.
- If every U.S. home replaces one incandescent with one CFL, the country will save $600 million in energy costs.
- Some opponents don’t want to make government “light bulb police” and others object to the quality of CFLs. Many think the bulbs will emerge w/o government action.
Lumens measure the brightness of the bulb. The House bill mandates an increase of lumens incandescents cannot meet without increasing wattage. Because they are more efficient, the CFLs can be brighter without using more electricity.
- Halogen bulbs also meet the legislative standards and are improving.
- LEDs will come into the picture as efficiency requirements rise.
- GE: Replacing 10 60-watt incandescents and 5 100-watt incandescents saves homeowners $120/yr and $656 over the bulb’s life. GE calculator
- CFLs contain mercury, a tiny fraction of what old thermometers had, but must be recycled. Call 1-877-EARTH911 or go to Earth 911 for more info. All IKEAs also take CFLs for recycling.

The facts. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- Harman: "Only 10% of the power used by today's incandescent bulbs is emitted as light, while the other 90% is released as heat…"
- Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash.: "By simply replacing the light bulbs in their homes, our constituents will be saving money in addition to energy…"
- Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa.: "They are not very bright. They are not good for reading…They buzz sometimes, they just buzz like a transformer." (NewEnergyNews: These are inaccurate statements.)