Got Your New Lightbulbs Yet?

[Just2Honor]

Our elected official have done it again! Another crazy mandate.

Once Again, a Government ‘Improvement’ Makes Things Exponentially Worse « LewRockwell.com Blog

[hipower]

Too much common sense involved in this. Another example of Congress sticking it's business to us.

Let's see here. Ban incandesenct bulbs--put American companies and workers out of business. Get poorer light from "enviromentally friendly" bulbs that are a health hazzard to cleanup. Adds more plastic bags to landfils. Light is determental to photographs. Bulbs can cause interference with electronic systems. Bulbs give off-color light that makes reading difficult and can cause damage to eyes. And our only source for this earth and energy saving product is China??

Way to go Congress!!

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I like CFL's. They make more light for less electricity and the ones I buy I like the color balance of the light fine. You can get lots of different color balances in the different models.

I don't like the anti-choice aspects of legislation forcing people to use them. And do not like that they are not made in USA (likely because of EPA regulations' increased manufacturing expense as much as other economic considerations).

I would be entirely in favor of the legislation if all CFL's were required to all be manufactured in San Francisco within 1 mile of Nancy Pelosi's house. Which would also be a perfect toxic storage area to recycle and hold the waste from all the worn-out bulbs.

[Caster]

We went to the Dollar tree and bought three cases of 75 watt and two cases of 100 watt. We're good for a while.

[Guest nicemac]

I like CFL's. They make more light for less electricity and the ones I buy I like the color balance of the light fine. You can get lots of different color balances in the different models.

I respectfully disagree with this statement. I was forced to get a new bath light/fan combo fixture recently. The only option was for a cfl fixture–nobody seems to make one with incandescent bulbs anymore. It had sockets for two 13watt cfls, supposedly with the equivalent light of two regular 60-watt bulbs. Not even close. The two 13 watt cfl bulbs combined don't have the light output of ONE traditional 60-watt bulb.

Less electricity use is fine, if you want that. I need light that I can use, not crappy, overpriced, Chinese cfls.

[Jonnin]

The biggest problem I have with the CFLs are they do not work properly. First, like all flouroscent lighting, if you turn it off and on it uses more power (power up uses over 1/2 an hours worth of juice). Second, they burn out fast, promised to last for years I am lucky to go a month without replacing one. Third, the ones that do not die have that less light every day until dim thing that is common in flourscent lighting -- you have to figure out which one is dimmest and replace it now and then.

But the big thing is the increased price coupled with rapid death rate. They may do better in a newer home but my home is old, the wiring is not the best, and these things have zero tolerance for surges, blackouts, etc which are common for me, some caused by my home (turn on the vacuum and the lights dim, pop goes the chinese bulb) and others by the area (power outages and flicker are all too common off the main roads).

Basically, at this point in time, they are marginally better than a candle and need some work to be acceptable.

CONGRESS NEEDS TO BACK LED TECH FOR THE FUTURE, NOT THIS OLD AND POOR TECH FROM 10 YEARS AGO. MODERN LEDS ARE 10000 TIMES BETTER THAN THIS JUNK, NONTOXIC, AND THEY ACTUALLY WORK. My LED flashlight does a better job of lighting a room than 2 CFL bulbs, has lasted longer without failure, used less power, and all in all blows them out of the water.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Jonnin

[Guest drv2fst]

I like CFL's as well but I DETEST the government making my purchase decisions for me. Uncle Sam needs to stay out of my day to day life. Be there when I need an army or roads or something like that, otherwise stay away.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I respectfully disagree with this statement. I was forced to get a new bath light/fan combo fixture recently. The only option was for a cfl fixture–nobody seems to make one with incandescent bulbs anymore. It had sockets for two 13watt cfls, supposedly with the equivalent light of two regular 60-watt bulbs. Not even close. The two 13 watt cfl bulbs combined don't have the light output of ONE traditional 60-watt bulb.

Less electricity use is fine, if you want that. I need light that I can use, not crappy, overpriced, Chinese cfls.

Hi nicemac

If your fixture is so designed that it won't hold any CFL bigger than the small 13 watt units, then I agree that is a problem if it isn't bright enough for your liking. Might want to stock up on some incandescents. Or halogens if the fixture will handle the heat. Many halogens are not recommended for direct lighting though (too much UV), are expensive, don't have THAT high an output per watt compared to incandescents.

I'm not trying to make anybody like CFL's, but my experience of brightness per watt shows CFL's much brighter. I've been using all CFL's for a decade or more. If your bathroom fixture has room for CFL 200 Watt equivalents (45 watts consumption), then two of those buggers would be incredibly brighter than two incandescent 60 watt bulbs. It would be bright enough to wear sunglasses in the bathroom and still you would be saving ~30 watts compared to a pair of 60 watt incandescents.

My old eyes need lots of light. The home office has an overhead fixture with five 100 watt equivalent CFL's, which is bright enough that wife shields her eyes when she enters the room. Also a boom-light over the desk with a 200 watt equivalent CFL when I REALLY need some work light. I could get the same intensity with incandescents, but it would cost a lot more power. Also, incandescents are basically space heaters. If I had 700 watts of incandescent running in the office, it would be like running a 700 watt space heater in the room in july, so I'd have to spend even more power for air conditioning to offset that 700 watt always-on space heater.

My smallish bedroom has a ceiling fixture with three 200 watt equivalent CFL's. It is really really bright when the overheads are on. Costs 135 watts rather than 600 watts with incandescents.

All bulbs are spec'd for hours rather than days, and estimates for duration usually assume the light burns maybe 4 or 8 hours a day. If you run em more hours per day then they will go down quicker than the days estimated on the package. The better CFL's seem to last longer than bargain-basement units for me. The ones I've been using lately last a lot longer than incandescents, but I don't know if they last as many hours as advertised on the box. I just avoid the bargain-basement units.

The actual output tends to differ from published spec for all bulbs. This review shows that many bulbs seem to output less than advertised. There are probably other good online reviews, this is just the first one I found. Even taking the revised measurements in this article, CFL's make more light per watt than incandescents (and they don't cost you a lot more power for air conditioning in the summer).

The Best Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: PM Lab Test - Popular Mechanics

[Guest nicemac]

This fixture has special sockets that will not accept anything bigger than 13 watts. Not a traditional base and no room for mods. All over the box was splashed " Uses two 13w cfls -equivalent light of two 60w incandescent bulbs!"

I have my shop filled with 4' T8 fluorescent tubes. Love 'em. My cfl experience so far, yuck.

I just wish the gub'ment would stay out of this kind of stuff. If cfls are better, last longer and are more economical, the market will reflect that. If not, let me keep my incandescent bulbs where they make sense. Examples: Fluorescents don't work well (if at all) outdoors in cold weather, won't work in traditional dimming fixtures, etc…

I moved into my current house five years ago today. The house we moved out of was one I built. There was a light bulb in the (very high) stairwell from the basement to the main level of the house that a light in it- a single 75w bulb. I put it in using a Rube Goldberg ladder contraption as soon as power was supplied to the house. Because we came and went through the basement, that light was switched on and off multiple times per day–with the kids factored in, I would guess at times it was on and off dozens of times per day. At times it was accidentally left on overnight. When we moved after 15 years, it still had the original bulb I put in over 15 years before. I know my wife did not get on a ladder that high to replace it- that was one even I dreaded to replace. I never had to. Good incandescents can and do last a long time.

[southernasylum]

Sucks that standard cfl's don't work with the dimmers installed in my house.

[Spook]

All is not lost. Underscore/bold emphasis below is mine. This is the real issue here and, imho, is a perfect example of how government has gone off track.

“I think it’s fine if someone wants to fill their home or business with the light from the new bulbs. I also think it is fine if someone wants to buy an old-fashioned bulb because it works better for them. If left alone, the best bulb will win its rightful standing in the marketplace. Government doesn’t need to be in the business of telling people what light bulb they have to use,” said Senator Enzi, who authored the BULB Act.

Here's the entire article.

Republicans Seek Repeal of Incandescent Bulb Ban

[G27]

I have literally stocked up cases of GE Reveals in my attic in preparation for this. For some folks, the quality of light is a big deal.

I use CFL's for lights we leave on for long periods of time, like outdoor lighting and such, but for living areas, I'm sticking with my Reveals.

[hipower]

I'm with you on the Reveal, crimsonaudio. I have a few stashed away also. I like them for bright clear light, and they are the best I've had for reading by.

[mikegideon]

I'm going to stock up too. I have dimmers on over half the ceiling fixtures in my house.

[Sheepdog]

Reveals are the best incandescents ever, and I'm stocking up.

Have they always been made on China, though?

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[G27]

Reveals are the best incandescents ever, and I'm stocking up.

Have they always been made on China, though

Hrmm, I dunno - my last case (just got it a month or so ago) was all made in Canada...

[DWARREN123]

Why does the government suck so much?

[kieefer]

Why does the government suck so much?

because dumbass people get to vote too.