NEW BULBS IN OLD ENERGY BILL

NewEnergyNews called it "the Old Energy bill" when it passed last month because it failed to provide production tax credits or other incentives for New Energies like wind and solar. The Old Energy bill emphasizes new auto mileage standards and provides subsidies and incentives for biofuels. It also includes a much needed higher efficiency requirement for lighting that will all but end the age of the incandescent light bulb in favor of the new compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

One more thing, and this will be hard to remember: CFLs contain mercury and therefore require recycling like computer and television parts.

Why will it be hard to remember? Because the bulbs won't burn out and require recycling for 10 years.

Questions about CFLs? Check GE’s FAQ for answers.

Energy law pulls plug on Edison’s light bulb
Tom Doggett (withWalter Bagley), December 19, 2007 (Reuters)

WHO
Anybody who uses light bulbs.

WHAT
A provision in the bill passed by Congress in December and signed by the President requires light bulbs to be 30% more efficienct, in essence eliminating the old incandescent bulbs in favor of LEDs and CFLs.

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WHEN
- 100-watt incandescents cannot be sold after 2012, 75-watt bulbs after 2013 and 40-watters and 60-watters are out after 2014.
- Edison is said to have invented the incandescent bulb in 1879 (based on an 1875 patent he had purchased). It used a carbon filament. In fact, incandescent bulbs had been around in various prototype forms for a half century.

WHERE
- This US law follows similar ones in Australia, Ireland and the EU.
- The US has an estimated 4 billion light sockets. When all are switched over to CFLs, electricity costs will drop $18 billion/year.
- The changeover will save as much energy as was used by Texas in 2006.

WHY
- Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) cost more than incandescents but last 10 times as long.
- Less of the electricity used to light up CFLs is lost as heat. Therefore a standard 60-watt bulb is replaced by a 13 to 15-watt CFL, a standard 75-watt bulb by a 20-watt CFL, a standard 100-watter by a 26 to 29-watt CFL and a standard 150-watter by a 38 to 42-watt CFL.
- Exempt: bulbs for ovens, refrigerators, candelabra lamps, plant lights, replacement traffic signal bulbs and yellow insect repellant bulbs.

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QUOTES
- Randy Moorhead, vice president for government affairs, Philips Electronics: "Consumers will save money in their pockets…"
- Sylvania: "We're committed to money-saving, energy-saving products (that) help save the planet…"