Congress slowing phaseout of incandescent light bulb

[thedeparted]

Congress' bill may slow switch to efficient light bulbs (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/12/congress-delays-enforcement-light-bulb-rules-/1?csp=34news)

You'd have to be a real dunce to be opposed to this, I dont see how this has anything on your individual liberty's thats a real strawman. Getting rid of the old and getting new ones not only helps our environment but saves people money. what the problem is?

[LiNuX]

This is why the planet will be inhabitable in a 100 years.

[paecmaker]

Why would such a thing being stalled, the new lights are so much better, they last longer, needs lesser energy and so on. The only problem is that a few of the new lights are poisonous for the enviroment if they break and is not handled correctly.

[thedeparted]

It's really sad that there are people out that are fine with this much jeopardy of the planet. I think i read a stat that said if we all went energy effient light bulbs that'd be like taking 600k cars off the road. And its really not even a big deal tbh, it's not like saying dont use lights. It's saying just use this kind because it's better for earth and you even get some extra money

[CraeSC111]

They should change to LED lightbulbs. Those are the most efficient so far. Bit I do agree that this is pretty stupid. Even if I had a choice I'd choose flourescent.

[qprider]

lightbulbs? we're gamers! ... except for monitors, ain't no lights on around here anyway! :)

[Exodyus]

lightbulbs? we're gamers! ... except for monitors, ain't no lights on around here anyway! :)

HAhahaHha. QfT. Lmfao.

Honestly, the entire government and everything in a whole needs a serious revamp, because we're not living in the 1900s anymore. Our road systems are out of date by 60 years. Our laws and policies are ridiculous, at worst. And we're arguing about light bulbs instead of curing cancer.

Stop the world. I wanna get off.

[EpsilonX]

I see this as simply making it a more natural shift to the better lightbulbs.

[Samus-Fan]

Problem is, why should the government interfere with what lightbulbs I use?
...Isn't there something more important going on?

Most (And I mean most) CFLs can't dim. That's a really big problem is someones house like ours where every light switch is a dimmer.
(Technically) Hazmat is supposed to be called to clean up a broken CFL bulb because of the Tungsten (Correct if wrong, I'm pretty sure it's W though) gas inside the bulb.
CFLs prices are also out of the roof.

LED bulbs are expensive, and while they dim, they have a very strange glow to them. They are more of a direct light instead of a room-filling light as well.

[Kink3bird]

Its the same reason why we won't switch to renewable energy, get bullet trains, and legalize drugs.. because the government makes too much money off the bans and red tape set up..

[LiNuX]

Its the same reason why we won't switch to renewable energy, get bullet trains, and legalize drugs.. because the government makes too much money off the bans and red tape set up..

Not the government, it's the companies the lobbyists work for.

[Dess]

It's more of a freedom of choice thing. I don't know about you guys, but those bulbs get kinda pricey, and like Samus said some of them are hazardous if broken.

I understand the need to be more efficient in our energy usage, but the government shouldn't be able to mandate what bulbs we use.

Not to mention... don't they have better stuff to be doing?? I mean.. they already determined that pizza is a vegetable... and now they're worried about light bulbs... seems they're getting paid a lot of money to not do anything that a group of super wasted teenagers couldn't do in an afternoon.

[paecmaker]

It's more of a freedom of choice thing. I don't know about you guys, but those bulbs get kinda pricey, and like Samus said some of them are hazardous if broken.

I understand the need to be more efficient in our energy usage, but the government shouldn't be able to mandate what bulbs we use.

Not to mention... don't they have better stuff to be doing?? I mean.. they already determined that pizza is a vegetable... and now they're worried about light bulbs... seems they're getting paid a lot of money to not do anything that a group of super wasted teenagers couldn't do in an afternoon.

Its not that bad, they might be more expensive at first but they cost less in energy and also last longer. And if you treat them right they arent so dangerous. They stopped selling normal lights here some time ago (or at least they are phasing them out) and it hasnt been such a big change :p

[Dess]

I have the bulbs at home... my local electric department provides them for free...

My biggest issue is I think they have more important things to worry about than light bulbs.

[CraeSC111]

A lot of stuff they do does seem to be a waste of time. Especially with the big problems still floating around.

[Kink3bird]

Not the government, it's the companies the lobbyists work for.

Haha is there much of a difference between them anymore?

[Samus-Fan]

Its not that bad, they might be more expensive at first but they cost less in energy and also last longer. And if you treat them right they arent so dangerous. They stopped selling normal lights here some time ago (or at least they are phasing them out) and it hasnt been such a big change :p

Wait until you move out into your own house and have to spend 15 bucks for a single bulb- I'm sure you won't be saying it's that big of a deal anymore.
Everybody breaks a bulb, you can't say you haven't. And yes, CFL and LED might last longer, but that doesn't change the fact that Government is dictating what lighting source I can use. What is they rule out candles because they are killing ozone somehow?


I have the bulbs at home... my local electric department provides them for free...

My biggest issue is I think they have more important things to worry about than light bulbs.

Agreed. There is a lot more important things that government can be doing than worrying about my light bulbs.


Haha is there much of a difference between them anymore?

This just made me laugh, lol, so true

[paecmaker]

Wait until you move out into your own house and have to spend 15 bucks for a single bulb- I'm sure you won't be saying it's that big of a deal anymore.


There are much cheaper versions, there are of course much more expensive but also cheaper that cost only a bit more than ordinary bulbs.

However in the long run they are still cheaper because of the lesser energy they take and the fact that they use a bigger amount of the energy they are consuming to accually give light.

And yes I have dropped one or two(and shot a third with a soft air gun) :embarrassed:

What I think is bad about them however is that some of the lights are dangerous if handled the wrong way.

But I dont think this is a priority thing, there are of course much more urgent things to take care of first. And it will not be a quick change(In the EU it was a three year plan to slowly replace ordinary bulbs)

Edit: About the government thing I think they shouldnt be in our lives too much, but its not the first time they try to phase out something bad for the enviroment, freons are being phased out for example.

[LiNuX]

There are much cheaper versions, there are of course much more expensive but also cheaper that cost only a bit more than ordinary bulbs.

^ This


Most of the lights in my house are CFL bulbs that I got from Costco almost 2 years ago, a pack of 6 cost about $7 for 75 watt ones and $10 for 100 watts (the wattage here is comparing to incandescent lights, but actual usage is much lower, around 18-20 watts each).

All the bulbs still work perfectly and they're still pretty bright. From the dozen that I had, I broke one and that was my fault because I put it on the edge of my table while I took out the bulb from a lamp and when I went to grab it (without looking), I accidentally pushed it off.

Still worth the price though.

LED lights are getting cheaper too now, Although they are much more expensive than CFL's now, they will eventually get even cheaper.

But I agree that the government should spend their resources deciding on more useful things because this is a waste of time and money imo.

[CraeSC111]

If you need a phaseout of older technologies leave it to private companies. It would probably take longer but you'd get a lot better response from the public. There are some people that still prefer incandescent and even if you prefer the new ones you still don't like the feeling of being forced to buy a certain product. When private companies do it they are much more subtle.