It's the end of the light bulb as we know it

[Brink]

With new, stricter efficiency standards almost upon us, it's time to start thinking differently about your lights. Here's why you should feel fine.

In 2007, the US Congress under President George W. Bush passed the Energy Independence and Security Act. Key among its provisions was a new series of regulations mandating the gradual phase-out of the manufacturing, importation, and sale of inefficient lighting. We've already said goodbye to 75- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, and on January 1, 2014, we'll be bidding adieu to 40- and 60-watt bulbs as well.

The move is intended to kick-start a new era of longer-lasting, more efficient lighting, and according to some, it's a move that's long overdue. After all, incandescent bulbs waste up to 90 percent of the energy they consume on heat output, which is why incandescents get so hot when they're turned on. According to EnergyStar, if every American household replaced just one standard light bulb with one of its certified, high-efficiency light sources, we'd save about $600 million in annual energy costs and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year -- equivalent to the yearly output of roughly 800,000 cars.

Still, plenty of folks are concerned about the higher costs of higher efficiency, and some simply prefer the warm tone that you get from incandescents. Just before 100-watt incandescents were phased out last year, one in eight Americans said that they'd stockpile the bulbs when polled by lighting company Osram Sylvania, and you can find similar chatter right now with regards to the 40- and 60-watt varieties that are on their way out next year.

Regardless of whether you love the idea of a greener energy standard or hate the idea of additional mandates on the free market, the bottom line is that you're going to need to change the way you think about your lights. No longer will swapping a bulb out simply be a matter of slapping a buck or two down on the hardware store counter for a quick, readily disposable lighting fix. The bulbs of tomorrow are already here today, and they're more advanced, more efficient, and yes, more expensive. You're going to need to put some thought into which ones will serve as the best investments for your home.

In short, it's time to start thinking about light bulbs the way we think about appliances. Here's what you'll need to know.

Read more at: It's the end of the light bulb as we know it | Appliances - CNET Reviews

 

[beauparc]

I have a mixture of new ones and the old type in my house and, despite all the hype, I find that there is a considerable difference in the light output between the incandescent and the equivalent new type.

Now that I have reached the ripe old age of 70, I find it much safer use the stairs, lit by the old type, at night.

I also have sufficient of the old type, of all wattage, to see me to the end of my days

If you really want to save energy, go back to using candles

 

[jadinolf]

R.I.P.

 

[boohbah]

I have a mixture of new ones and the old type in my house and, despite all the hype, I find that there is a considerable difference in the light output between the incandescent and the equivalent new type.

Now that I have reached the ripe old age of 70, I find it much safer use the stairs, lit by the old type, at night.

I also have sufficient of the old type, of all wattage, to see me to the end of my days

If you really want to save energy, go back to using candles

the newer lightbulbs do last a while, i have them in every light socket in my house and they are fine, they need a few moments to brighten , i e they need to warm up before they are at maximum light but that said in three years or more ive replaced about two of them

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Most of my lighting has been replaced with CFLs. I've found I have to use the next higher equivalent wattage as the original incandescent being replaced to get the same amount of light but they still made a huge dent in my power bill. Besides using less juice, they don't heat up as much, cutting the amount of air conditioning required. The light from the CFLs available now are just as warm as incandescents.

I've tried a couple of LEDs but one was too white and harsh. The second had the right color temperature but the bulb doesn't diffuse the light enough, creating an excessively bright spot inside the bulb, and the overall length of the bulb is too long for most of my fixtures so I need to do some more looking. It took me a while to find CFLs I liked but it was worth the effort.

 

[Brink]

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

View attachment 286709

Personally, I feel it's good riddance.

 

[Layback Bear]

They outlawed mercury and now they a pushing bulbs with mercury in them.
I had a few of the goofy looking twisted bulbs last only about a year of part time use.
Now what do you do with them; they contain mercury.
If your $30.00 new style light bulb quiets working in a couple three years who do you go to for a free replacement. Who in the hell keeps a purchase record of a light bulb.
How does one test a bulb to see if it will last 40 years like advertised or estimate.
Most of my bulbs are the new kind and really not much of a problem except for reading. Can't seem to find one that gives proper light for reading.
The ones I have tried don't seem to like the cold. When I use them for outside porch use they don't make it through one winter. The old style bulbs would last for years and years. They cost about 25 cents @.
If you want to save money on lighting turn off the lights when not in need. Some houses I pass are lit up like the owner has stock in Ohio Edison.

Haven't been able to find any of these new style bulbs that weren't made in China.
A $30.00 light bulb should be made someplace other than China and be U/L tested. I like new and better but I don't like being hosed.
----------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UL_%28safety_organization%29

 

[Golden]

You are only exposed to the mercury if you smash the bulb and then eat the shards, or grind them into your flesh. Bulbs with mercury in them are quite safe unbroken.

 

[Borg 386]

Sign of the times

 

[Golden]

Sheds some light on the problem

 

[Layback Bear]

Golden I do understand that the mercury is in a sealed container (bulb). How does one dispose of one of these bulbs guaranteeing that it will never be broken and contaminate the world. If second hand smoke kills people what would second had mercury do.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

They outlawed mercury and now they a pushing bulbs with mercury in them.
I had a few of the goofy looking twisted bulbs last only about a year of part time use.
Now what do you do with them; they contain mercury.
If your $30.00 new style light bulb quiets working in a couple three years who do you go to for a free replacement. Who in the hell keeps a purchase record of a light bulb.
How does one test a bulb to see if it will last 40 years like advertised or estimate.
Most of my bulbs are the new kind and really not much of a problem except for reading. Can't seem to find one that gives proper light for reading.
The ones I have tried don't seem to like the cold. When I use them for outside porch use they don't make it through one winter. The old style bulbs would last for years and years. They cost about 25 cents @.
If you want to save money on lighting turn off the lights when not in need. Some houses I pass are lit up like the owner has stock in Ohio Edison.

Haven't been able to find any of these new style bulbs that weren't made in China.
A $30.00 light bulb should be made someplace other than China and be U/L tested. I like new and better but I don't like being hosed.
----------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UL_%28safety_organization%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UL_(safety_organization)

I have dirty power at my place so even incandescents would pop every few months. I can easily get two or three years from EcoBulb CFLs (the goofy looking twisted bulbs). Even though they are Chinese, they are better quality than U.S. made CFLs. I have use GE smaller sized CFLs in one of my fixtures to get them to fit. They don't last quite as long as EcoBulbs but they are still far more cost effective than incandescents.

There are a lot of crap brands of CFLs being sold but there are also a lot of good ones. Price doesn't seem to be a very good indication of how good a brand is.

I know there is Mercury in CFLs but there is no convenient place to safely dispose of them around where I live so into the trash they go when they finally die. People have been doing that for years with conventional fluorescents. Still, I would feel better using LEDs since they don't have mercury in them, throw off even less heat, and last far longer than the CFLs. I just need to find some that meet my needs and haven't had the energy to do much looking yet.

 

[Layback Bear]

I do have some LED's and they do work well in some places. They are bright.

 

[boohbah]

lighten up guys,
i would suspect before long there will be recycle bins for bulbs in the supermarket or food halls like they do for batteries.

 

[Golden]

Ahh, some light at the end of the tunnel

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Forgot to mention, I agree that CFLs do not do well in cooler weather. Depending on cold it is, they either don't fire or they take a while before they reach full brightness. The eyeball height street lamps in the mobile home court I live in uses CFLs and I have yet to see them refuse to fire, even when the temperatures dip to the high twenties, but it can take half an hour or more for them to get to full brightness. Fortunately, I can count the number of times it dips to the high twenties every winter on one hand with most of my fingers still left.

When I turn on my outside porch lights, I want them to come on right NOW, no matter how cold it is, so I use 100W halogens on a dimmer circuit. While one could say halogens are a form of incandescent, they are more efficient and last longer.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

lighten up guys,
i would suspect before long there will be recycle bins for bulbs in the supermarket or food halls like they do for batteries.

Other than the batteries in my cell phone and my notebook (still in use) and the 9v backup batteries in my smoke detectors (zinc/carbons that last for years because the smoke detectors run on 110V), I haven't thrown out a battery in at least five years. The rest of my battery operated electronics use AA and AAA batteries. I feed them with Sanyo Eneloops, a low loss NiMH rechargeable. They will hold a decent charge for over a year when not in use so I recharge them once a year, whether they need it or not, and whenever I run some down from use. Some of them are over five years old and still going strong. I've yet to have one fail.

 

[boohbah]

its the end of the battery as we know it

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

its the end of the battery as we know it

Yeah, carbon/zincs, lead/acid, and NiCads are a dying breed. The original NiMHs are being overtaken by the low loss NiMHs (often called prechargeables because they are able to hold a charge until they are sold). Even lithium-ions don't come close to the charge retention and service life of low loss NiMHs.