US Passes Lightbulb Law
According to an energy law passed by Congress on Tuesday, the US will be phasing out incandescent light bulbs by 2012.
This is an extremely positive move, echoing similar laws enacted by Ireland and Australia. What does this mean for consumers?
The benefits:
* Reduce electricity use - ninety percent of the energy that an incandescent light bulb burns is wasted as heat.
* Greenhouse gases - reducing the amount of energy spent will reduce the carbon footprint.
* Money saved by each household - utilizing all CFL bulbs could account for up to a 12% reduction in monthly energy costs. As an example: a household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity.
Changes to expect:
* CFLs cost more per bulb, so the outlay is more. However, they last much longer, so you save much more over the life of the bulb.
* Recycling rather than throwing away: due to their contents, you’ll need to recycle CFLs rather than throwing them away
This article has a good primer on what to expect. Preparing now is definitely the best way to go. But a more efficient way might be to install CFLs as older bulbs burn out.
[...] Last year, Congress took 2 big steps: passing an automobile emissions bill, plus the so-called “Lightbulb Law”. [...]