Watch Duncan Hunter behind the Congressman from Texas.
I see another branch of Gov’t in the making…Homeland Illumination…
What about all the light fixtures that CFL bulbs will not fit? I guess we will have to throw these fixtures out and replace them. How much energy will that waste?
I have replaced incandescent light bulbs with CFL’s where ever possible. I chose to do so. I shouldn’t be forced to do so.
You will be able to buy an 8MPG Hummer, but not a standard light bulb. Idiots.
Ralph
Ralph Berg said:We got the same situation up here. Incandescents are under the ban. Idiot pols riding madly off in all directions at once to show how green they are. Not that they'll do anything worthwhile, you understand. CFLs have their own problems: Mercury, for one. Can't wait for the hoohah when that starts showing up in landfills (Yeah, sure, people are going to take all those CFLs to recycling centres. And pigs will fly.) And a few people have gently pointed out that incandescent light bulbs do indeed produce heat -- which is very useful in our winters when the bulbs get most use. Wot, common sense? The horror, the horror! We have quite a few CFLs in the house, in fixtures that will take them. Some fixtures won't. Maybe I should send the replacement bill to Premier Dunce McGuilty ...
I have replaced incandescent light bulbs with CFL's where ever possible. I chose to do so. I shouldn't be forced to do so. Ralph
You know what really sucks about CFL’s? How long they take to start and come to full brightness. We use them exclusively in our office and some of our office doors have combo locks. I can switch on the hallway lights and walk 25 feet to a door and still have to wait two or three minutes before I can see the numbers on the lock.
Guess we need to start hoarding incandescent bulbs 
Hoarding?
They will probably make simple possession a crime!
Ralph
Jon Radder said:
You know what really sucks about CFL's? How long they take to start and come to full brightness. We use them exclusively in our office and some of our office doors have combo locks. I can switch on the hallway lights and walk 25 feet to a door and still have to wait two or three minutes before I can see the numbers on the lock.Guess we need to start hoarding incandescent bulbs
No Jon, that’s not what really sucks. What really sucks is more unneccesary Government involvement in my everyday life, taking away another freedom of choice I used to have.
Chris Vernell said:I use a 60 watt bulb to heat my well house in the winter. About the smallest electric heater I've seen is around 300watts. Even if I could find a 100watt heater, I consider the light bulb safer. Ralph
And a few people have gently pointed out that incandescent light bulbs do indeed produce heat -- ...
I use a 100W blub to heat my dog’s outdoor shelter. I don’t think one of those fancy pig tail blubs will do the same job.
The dogs can come in anytime they want, through the flap door in the basement. It is just that sometimes they don’t wanna.
I agree, its safer than any heater I can think of for this employment.
We bought two packages of 4 each CFLs at Big Lots. When we opened one of the packages a couple of weeks later, three of the four lamps were broken.
Took the whole package back to Big Lots. The manager first said he couldn’t take them back as they were considered hazardous waste when broken. We offered to immediately call the local fire department (as in dial 911) and report that his store had sold us some “hazardous waste.” It very suddenly became possible to take them back for a refund. I can guess where they wound up!
As this thread has pointed out, the CFL requirement is our not very bright government officials showing how ‘green’ they can be at our expense and inconvenience. And yes, we are actively purchasing and storing fair quantities of incandescent bulbs to offset future government driven shortages.
Happy RRing,
Jerry
Has anyone confirmed that this is in fact been passed into law? I’ve been thinking about it, and there are hundreds of applications that can’t use CFL bulbs. Round vanity lamps, post lights using candelabra lamps, and track lighting are just three examples in my home that wouldn’t work with CFL’s. Forget about flood or or spot lamps. Ain’t happening with fluorescents. LED Arrays perhaps?
Jon:
Here’s what Wikipedia says about U.S. CFL law:
"United States:
"California will phase out the use of incandescent bulbs by 2018 as part of bill by California State Assembly member Jared Huffman (D-Santa Rosa) that was signed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on October 12, 2007. The bill also requires a reduction in lighting electricity usage.[1]
"Legislation has also been proposed in Connecticut by state Representative Mary M. Mushinsky (D-Wallingford).[2][3]. On February 8 2007, New Jersey Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis introduced a bill that calls for the state to switch to fluorescent lighting in government buildings over the next three years. “The light bulb was invented a long time ago and a lot of things have changed since then,” said Chatzidakis. "I obviously respect the memory of Thomas Edison, but what we’re looking at here is using less energy.[4]
“Many of these state efforts became moot when the federal Clean Energy Act of 2007[5] was signed into law on December 19, 2007. This legislation effectively banned (by January 2014) incandescent bulbs that produce 310 - 2600 lumens of light. Bulbs outside this range (roughly, light bulbs currently less than 40 Watts or more than 150 Watts) are exempt from the ban. Also exempt are several classes of specialty lights, including appliance lamps, “rough service” bulbs, 3-way, colored lamps, and plant lights.”
Seems to me like a done deal.
Does everyone realize that these things don’t work with a dimmer? We use lots of dimmers of all sorts and really don’t want to loose that function.
Happy RRing,
Jerry
Well at least they had the sense to exempt most everything except the standard 40-150 watt bulbs.
But what does this really have to do with energy consumption when they exempt high wattage floodlights? You can now buy LED floodlights.
But whatever the merits of the CFL lights, they should not force the use through legislation.
I am sure some people in the US and Canada simply can not afford to pay five times as much for a light bulb.
As for dimmer systems, I guess the rough service bulbs will work.
But incandescent bulbs are cheap, I too will probably stock up well in advance of the ban.
Ralph
I use incandescent bulbs in my pump house during freezing weather to keep the temperature up. Not used often, perhaps a half dozen times a year, but much more efficient and safer than buying a big heater and keeping it running.
I’ve never complained when Congress does nothing because on the rare occasion they do something it’s always detrimental to most of us. I wish they’d go into permanent recess.
“Nobody’s life, liberty or property is safe when the legislature is in session.” L. Long, ca. 2342
So if CF is required, what if another technology becomes available, like LED’s?
Tom Ruby said:CFL's are not required. They are just banning the most commonly used incandescents. Ralph
So if CF is required, what if another technology becomes available, like LED's?
“CFL’s are not required. They are just banning the most commonly used incandescents.”
Yes, candles, kerosene lamps, camp and cooking fires and other 4th World (below 3rd World) forms of illumination will be allowed as some of our politicians have been trying to move us more toward Europe and Africa and not being the leader of the free world. When some one says, we need to become more European, I never look at that as a good thing. Nothing like the candle light reflecting off a mud cave wall to drive an economy forward.
I am glad I only model trains in the 1850 to 1941 time frame. Every light is incandescent. I feel sorry for the people in the future who will have to depict model CFL bulbs in their light fixtures for their fine scale models of modern trains in the 21st century. I wonder how they will make the squiggley looking bulbs that work and light up their buildings and platforms.