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But in January they have to be 30% more efficient than they are now which effectively bans them.
I have a large house with lots of 100w bulbs that get used about 2 hours per year. There is no way I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars to replace these bulbs. The payback would be beyond my lifetime.
And while bickering and stocking up on these incandescent bulbs, you just might end up stocking up on incandescent bulbs that were designed to meet the new efficiency standards. (Hint: they're in market and not going anywhere...).
But then, considering that y'all are motivated and driven by politicians and media personalities... I say... go hoard!
Consumers are discovering other downsides of CFLs besides convenience and safety issues:
Most do not work with dimmer switches
They are available in only a few sizes
Some emit a bluish light
Some people say they get headaches while working or reading under them
They cannot be used in recessed lighting enclosures or enclosed globes
Fires are seen as a slight possibility
When CFLs do burn out, they often create some smoke, which consumers have found alarming. This is a result of the plastic on the bulb's ballast melting and turning black. CFL manufacturers dismiss safety concerns.
Despite the drawbacks, Australia, Canada and the European Union have all moved to ban incandescent bulbs. California, Connecticut, North Carolina and Rhode Island, are all in the process of legislating an end to Edison's greatest invention. Even local towns and cities are getting into the act.
But the craze didn't start in Europe of Australia or Canada. It started in Fidel Castro 's Cuba. His action in banning the incandescent bulb was followed up quickly by Hugo Chavez 's Venezuela. Only then did the trend continue in the industrialized western nations.
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Read more: Light-bulb ban craze exceeds disposal plansLight-bulb ban craze exceeds disposal plans
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When a CFL breaks, the EPA cautions consumers to open a window and leave the room immediately for at least 15 minutes because of the mercury threat. The agency suggests removing all materials by scooping fragments and powder using cardboard or stiff paper. Sticky tape is suggested as a way to get smaller particles. The EPA says vacuum cleaners and bare hands should never be used in such cleanups.
After final cleanup with a damp paper towel, the agency warns consumers to place all materials in a plastic bag.
"Seal and dispose of properly," says the EPA. "Wash hands."
But disposing of properly might be a tough thing to do, because CFLs should never be thrown in the trash like their old-fashioned incandescent predecessors. They need to be turned into recycling centers, which are few and far between.
When laws banning incandescent bulbs take effect, so do the mandatory fines on consumers and businesses that dispose of the new CFLs improperly.
I consider myself a liberal, and I'm all for saving energy and stuff, but I don't think the government should tell people which light bulbs to use. There are far more important things to worry about. While they're at it, I hope they reverse the ban on mercury-vapor lamps.
But in January they have to be 30% more efficient than they are now which effectively bans them.
I have a large house with lots of 100w bulbs that get used about 2 hours per year. There is no way I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars to replace these bulbs. The payback would be beyond my lifetime.
I heard that efficiency standards will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014.
this sounds like they are trying to regulate incandescent bulbs out of the market...I heard an entire business had to be off-shored to china because of this "regulation"...whether or not this is an out-right ban, this is doing alot of harm and imposing unnecessary rules on people....
I mean really?...light bulbs are an issue now?...we are arguing about light-blubs?...the govt, with all its problems, has the time to go after light-bulbs?..nobody sees the absurdity of this?
and yet many here seem to think this is perfectly "OK"...even encouraging this....as if we have time for this with all the other crap that is going on....but I guess when you're that "smart" and "enlighten", no problem is too insignificant and trivial...
not to mention that everything Bush done was considered evil, fascist, and stupid to liberals...and yet this one thing, this unnecessary "regulation" of light bulbs seems to be accepted and even encouraged by them.....go figure....
is the need to have the govt tell you whats good and bad that strong?
What I have trouble wrapping my brain around is how some people are so embracing of wastefulness and inefficiency. How could a challenge to do better be a bad thing?
Did you ever stop to think people might have problems with the hospital light CFL's put out? -or- people can't justify the exorbitant cost of replacing their incandescent lights with LED lights? Nahhhh
I'll put up with the additional pennies it costs me a month to use incandescent light bulbs but will make up that cost when it turns cold...
PLUS I don't have to go over an emergency evacuation route for the family or purchase a hazmat suit in case a CFL bulb breaks....
The only challenge CFL light bulbs pose is how much of a risk do I want myself or my family exposed to?
"The efficiency standards will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014"
Start Thinking?
I'm not even too sure how to respond....
there is something disturbing about those who don't mind the govt holding their hands their entire life for a few breadcrumbs and following the same flawed ideas over and over again expecting something different and then act like they are the ones who are "smart".....
newsflash.....I'm not the one who thinks the best use of the govt's time, especially giving our current issues, should be going after something as silly as light-bulbs..
its you and others who seem to think this is a "smart" way to do things...
and change your name, you shouldn't have anything with the word "Einstein" in it....just saying..
Did you ever stop to think people might have problems with the hospital light CFL's put out? -or- people can't justify the exorbitant cost of replacing their incandescent lights with LED lights? Nahhhh
I'll put up with the additional pennies it costs me a month to use incandescent light bulbs but will make up that cost when it turns cold...
PLUS I don't have to go over an emergency evacuation route for the family or purchase a hazmat suit in case a CFL bulb breaks....
The only challenge CFL light bulbs pose is how much of a risk do I want myself or my family exposed to?
Again, incandescents ARE NOT BANNED. You are NOT GOING TO BE FORCED TO USE CFLs. The standards of efficiency for light bulbs, among many other things, are simply going to be higher. Like I already stated in this thread, there are several manufacturers (in the US!) making incandescents that meet the new standards. I don't like the light from CFLs either, which is why I use the new, efficient incandescent bulbs in my home.
Please educate yourself! Good grief!
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(Hint: they're in market and not going anywhere...).
