Incandescent Light Bulb "Ban" Update

For some reason my old blog post about lightbulbs is getting more and more views.  Because of that, and because the "ban" hasn't been repealed, I thought I'd do some more research into the issue.  Let me also say that I still feel exactly the same about CFL bulbs.

I originally said that all incandescent lightbulbs were being banned, but that is inaccurate.  There are some exceptions - 3-way bulbs and 40 watt appliance bulbs, just to name a couple.  But any regular incandescent bulb that does not meet the efficiency improvement required by the 2007 law is going away.  There must be at least a 28% savings in energy costs.

I mentioned that LED bulbs would be an option eventually, but that they are still very expensive.  Another option I hadn't thought of (for unknown reasons - maybe I have a subconscious hatred of them that stems from those old halogen floor lamps we had in college that could fry a moth and stink up the entire building?) is the halogen bulb.  Yep, that's a halogen bulb above.  In the traditional incandescent form we're all used to.  Halogen bulbs produce light more similar to the common incandescent bulb, a bit whiter than yellow, but not the cold blue light that comes from CFLs.  They are more efficient for the same amount of light output.  For example, a 40-43 watt halogen = 60 watt incandescent, and a 60-70 watt halogen = 100 watt incandescent.  That is a 28% savings in energy costs.  You got it - exactly what the 2007 law requires!

Halogen bulbs also have a much longer life than incandescent bulbs.  The average incandescent bulb lasts between 750-100 hours.  The average halogen bulb lasts between 2250-3500 hours.  So, even though the halogen may cost a little more than the incandescent, the longer life makes it worth it.  And apparently the above bulb definitely doesn't get hotter than an incandescent bulb and maybe doesn't get hotter than a CFL. I guess frying moths isn't likely to happen.

It's a first - I'm going to recommend an article from Fox News.  I learned a lot from this article.  I also found what is probably the only thing I'm likely to agree with The Tea Party on - the 2007 bill is an example of government overreach.  Check out the article to educate yourself.

I'm going to try out the halogen bulbs and hope that they will be able to replace my old faves.  I'll let you know.