Many news agencies reported on the “light bulb ban” before the beginning of the new year. On December 31, 2013 CNN wrote a satirical obituary saying, “Farewell, traditional light bulb. As the clock strikes midnight, the light dims on your reign as the mechanical illuminator of human existence.” News agencies like Fox News, L.A. Times, and the Toronto Star followed suit either before the new year or shortly after.
Is there a ban on incandescent light bulbs?
Well, technically no. But the government did issue new standards (laws) on what makes a light bulb more efficient in the Energy Independence and Security Act in 2007. (PDF). Because of the new standards, 100 and 75-watt bulbs began being phased out effective January 1, 2013. The same thing happened to 60 and 40-watt incandescent bulbs on January 1, 2014.
As with many laws, there are loopholes. And these loopholes will make it seem like incandescent light bulbs are still around for a while because places like Home Depot and Wal-Mart will continue to sell them until they run out.
For example, halogen incandescent light bulbs, more commonly referred to as halogens, are now sold as alternatives. But they are still considered incandescent technology. They replace the 60-watt bulbs with a 43-watt output instead. There are also 73-watt halogen incandescents that replace the 75- and 100-watt regular incandescents.
By 2020, however, energy efficiency standards for halogen light bulbs found in the 2007 act will begin phasing out their use and manufacture.
Most grievances regarding the new energy efficient standards stem from the fact that these energy efficient alternatives cost more. Some traditional incandescents sold for as low as 25 cents each last year. Halogens cost upwards to $1.50 each. Compact florescent lamps (CFL) cost around two dollars each, and a light-emitting diodes bulb (LED) equivalent could cost up to more than 13 dollars each.
The initial cost of these CFL, halogen, and LED bulbs are significantly higher than incandescent bulbs, however in theory these bulbs pay themselves off. Below is a comparison of traditional incandescent costs to CFL costs per year.
Photo courtesy of TheVerge.com. Left: traditional incandescent. Right: compact fluorescent.
Some users may be wary of using CFL bulbs because of the mercury content. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), elemental mercury is harmful if consumed. Each box containing a CFL bulb includes a guideline scripted by the EPA that informs consumers on proper disposing of the bulbs.
The pay-off is what makes these bulbs attractive. Energy Star’s Estimated Yearly Energy Cost is $1.57 per CFL bulb, as opposed to the traditional incandescent at $7.23 per bulb. According to the EPA, CFLs [and other incandescent alternatives] can help you save money, use less energy, reduce light bulb changes, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to climate change.
On January 8, 2014, Republican Jeff Duncan introduced H.R. 3818, also known as the Thomas Edison BULB Act. The act called for a repeal of the entire section of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act dealing with the energy efficiency standards for incandescent bulbs. According to govtrack.us, the bill has a 3 percent chance of enactment.
During the presentation of the bill, Texas Republican Ted Poe expressed skepticism toward the incandescent standards found in the Energy Independence and Security Act. He doubted consumers would bother with properly recycling CFL bulbs, which contain mercury.
According to Poe, if CFL bulbs are not recycled properly, the mercury content could leak into landfills, which ultimately will eke into drinking water.
Mercury content in CFLs is a concern for many. According to the EPA, compact florescents contain four milligrams of mercury vapor in each bulb. This is compared to 500 milligrams found in most older thermometers. More information can be found in this PDF from the EPA’s website.
How will you deal with the phasing-out of incandescent light bulbs? Feel free to join in on the conversation by participating in our opinion poll found on the right of the screen.
