Pushing a ‘bright’ idea in 2012

Phase out of incandescent remains a political hot potato

By Christopher Bennett

Correspondent

Sometime in 2012 the light in your world will likely change – permanently.

This isn’t a reference to an epiphany that might occur as a result of keeping a resolution – as if that will happen. Rather, it’s the pointed truth.

Tentatively, as of Oct. 1, 2012, the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be legally manufactured in the United States.

It’s the beginning of the end of most incandescent light in the United States. The move is mandated by new energy standards in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

The 75-watt bulb is scheduled to be banned in Jan. 2013, followed by the 60- and 40-watt bulbs in Jan. 2014.

The ban will not immediately affect incandescent bulbs of wattages lower than 40 or greater than 150. It also does not impact appliance lamps, rough service bulbs, 3-way bulbs, colored lamps, stage lighting and plant lights.

The aim of the ban is to encourage more energy-efficient forms of lighting. The federal ban was originally scheduled to take place on Jan. 1, 2012. For years individual states enacted their own bans, most notably California, which planned for all incandescents to be gone by 2018.

However, the venerable incandescent received a reprieve in the federal budget bill passed in December, which pushes the beginning of its end to October 2012. The rider included in the recently passed law effectively prevents the Department of Energy from enforcing the ban until then.

So, while the ban remains in place, it has no teeth for a few months.

The rider was pushed by Congressional Republicans who maintain consumers, not the government, should determine which light bulbs are preferred. However, as a practical matter, most bulb manufacturers – reacting to the 2007 law – have moved on to more energy efficient products, meaning fewer incandescent bulbs will be made.

Whether that’s a good idea or not likely depends on your political persuasion.

People aren’t hoarding

Home Depot is one of the nation’s largest hardware retailers. Its Northern Division consists of more than 700 stores throughout the Midwest and Northeast, and includes Wisconsin and Illinois.

Jen King, senior manager for public relations for the Northern Division of Home Depot, said the company has noticed an increase in sales of all forms of light bulbs.

“In terms of sales, they are up overall,” King said. “We have seen a double-digit increase in the sales of incandescent bulbs and more than a 200 percent increase in the sales of LEDs (light emitting diodes).”

King’s comments appear to rebuke the notion that consumers are hoarding incandescent light bulbs and stockpiling stashes in advance of the ban. However, the idea that hoarding is taking place is gaining traction through consumer rights advocacy groups and, in some cases, talk radio.

Christine Taylor is a public relations professional for True Value Hardware. The chain is headquartered in Chicago and maintains a significant presence in southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

“We have seen a very slight increase in point of sales data on incandescent light bulbs, but nothing extreme,” Taylor said.

King and Home Depot echo the sentiments of Taylor and True Value.

“We have not seen a lot of hoarding,” King said. “Our customers have been very interested in learning more about energy efficient light bulbs.”

Energy savings touted

Energy efficiency is the driver for these changes. On its web page the American Lighting Association (ALA) details the impetus for the change in lighting and explains the impact on consumers.

According to the ALA a standard, 100-watt incandescent light bulb costs roughly 60 cents and should last about 1,000 hours.

A compact florescent light bulb providing the same amount of light uses only 26 watts, and should last 8,000 hours.

A halogen incandescent light bulb providing the same amount of light uses 72 watts and should last 1,000 hours.

A LED bulb providing the same light uses 12.5 watts of energy and should last 25,000 hours. However, each bulb costs roughly $40.

Obviously there are considerations to be made when considering how to light one’s home after the ban of incandescent bulbs. Consumer Reports recently tested halogen incandescent bulbs versus compact fluorescent bulbs, and reached the conclusion that to save energy, one will sacrifice brightness.

Sacrificing brightness

Consumer Reports reached its conclusion after long-term testing of seven compact fluorescent bulbs and two halogen incandescent light bulbs.

Each bulb uses less energy than a 100-watt incandescent. Compact fluorescents can save more than $100 in electricity per bulb in its lifetime. The savings for each halogen bulb range from $3-$8 over the life of the bulb.

However, halogen bulbs remain brighter than CFLs, and almost match the brightness of a 100-watt incandescent bulb. According to Terry McGowan, director of engineering at the ALA, the challenge in making a brighter compact fluorescent bulb is getting the spiral glass wrapped in a way that diffuses light without making the bulb larger or ungainly. Consumer Reports quoted McGowan in the article about its study.

In defense of halogens, they are dimmable and warm-up faster. However, halogens don’t meet Energy Star standards and do not carry the Energy Star logo.

According to its website Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy designed to help consumers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

As for LEDs, according to Consumer Reports it will be some time before the bulbs become mainstream with consumers. Prices are dropping fast, but the technology does not yet exist for LEDs to replace 100-watt incandescents.

The final conclusion reached by Consumer Reports is to go with the 100-watt replacement compact fluorescent. According to Consumer Reports they provide a warm, yellow light, but are slightly larger than the bulbs they replace.

The final decision lies with the individual consumer. Some Home Depot stores offer instructional seminars or feature displays in their stores detailing which bulb is best for a homeowner’s needs. The best bet for the individual consumer is to become educated … and shed some light on the subject.