So, I read in the paper that we are *this close* to phasing out 100 watt incandescent bulbs. And I think 60 watts are out by the end of 2013 or 2014? That's all well and good when it comes to just sticking a CFL or LED bulb in a regular lamp, but what about all the myriad other types of bulbs in the house?

How quickly do we intend to phase out all the other types of incandescents? In my house, I've got candelabra bulbs in the ceiling fans, 65 watt floods in the kitchen, clear globes in the porch lights, water resistant floods over the tubs & shower, outdoor floods in the security lights, and of course, the little 15 watts in the kids' nightlights. I can't think of any suitable "eco-friendly" replacement for any of those - someone please tell me that our wonderful nanny-state government isn't going to outlaw all that crap before industry has had a chance to develop suitable replacements? Are they just outlawing the standard bulbs?

In my old house, I used a lot of CFL bulbs to save a few bucks on the electric bill. And the end result is that I really wasn't happy with most of them. The quality was low, made-in-China BS that rarely lasted as long as advertised, sometimes the ballast got really hot and made me worry about fire safety. The light was often harsh, white light instead of the warmer incandescent light, and it annoys me to wait a few minutes while they warmed up to full power.

So in my new house, I haven't fooled with them. There's a handful that rode here in the lamps they were already in, but I haven't installed CFLs in any of my fixtures. Apparently I will be forced to soon; will I be able to buy anything that approximates the old bulbs that work so well?

I believe that proposal (delete incandescents) was rescinded.

Congress banned incandescent lights because they were manufactured in America and mandated that we use Chinese made CFLs that will put mercury into our land fills

I think the thing with CFL's was, when I used them in my old house, the only way to get sufficient satisfactory lighting was to buy the highest wattage ones I could find ---

And leave them on 24/7. Unless I really needed them OFF, I couldn't stand to deal with the dull glow they created for like the first half hour of use.

I believe that proposal (delete incandescents) was rescinded.

Not according to the article from the Sunday Post that I read this morning. It was awfully early (pre-coffee) so maybe I misread something. :shrug: It it was about how Phillips and a few other companies lobbied for it, and are pouring marketing cash into figuring out how to convince all of us that $25 LEDs are more like appliances/home upgrades vs. disposable light bulbs.

I'll re-read when I'm more awake.

I believe that proposal (delete incandescents) was rescinded.

I don't think it made it through the House..

The days of 6 packs lights for <$3 is almost gone..

The days of $10 - 40 light bulbs are almost here.

I'm like the lone person on here that likes them. I buy the 100W minimum and I get plenty of light, never had one go bad in 5 years. My electric bill is squat. :shrug:

I'm like the lone person on here that likes them. I buy the 100W minimum and I get plenty of light, never had one go bad in 5 years. My electric bill is squat. :shrug:

Back to one of your arguments..

You like them, you can buy them, it's YOUR choice..

But I just got an e-mail with the subject line.. "Save Money, Electricity & the Earth" and it was BulbsAmerica selling Flourescent bulbs..

WOW.. me changing light bulbs is going to SAVE the earth!!! WOOT!!

What a bunch of morons.. ‏

Just FYI...its the 4' T-12 flouro lights that are soon to be history. I'm going to have to upgrade about 30 4-tube fixtures in our shop and office areas; have to replace the ballasts and bulbs together to the T-8 type.

I'm like the lone person on here that likes them. I buy the 100W minimum and I get plenty of light, never had one go bad in 5 years. My electric bill is squat. :shrug:

I was using one in the lamp right next to my couch where I watch TV. It started to spit, hiss and click last week. I found an incandescent and replaced that sucker right away.

I would use more of them, but they are mostly made in China with inferior parts, they do contain mercury ( even tho it's just a small amount) and I really don't like having this rammed down my throat.

I'd still opt for LEDs if the price came down.

Just FYI...its the 4' T-12 flouro lights that are soon to be history. I'm going to have to upgrade about 30 4-tube fixtures in our shop and office areas; have to replace the ballasts and bulbs together to the T-8 type.

Incandescent bulbs are on their way out too..

For some reason 2014 seems to be baning around in my head.

I was using one in the lamp right next to my couch where I watch TV. It started to spit, hiss and click last week. I found an incandescent and replaced that sucker right away.
I had that exact same thing happen except mine began to put off black smoke. Scary as all get out to think of what would have happened had I not been in the room.

So who here really believes each household have a hazardous waste container already waiting for dead bulbs and that folks aren't going to toss them in the regular trash bin? :tap:

How quickly do we intend to phase out all the other types of incandescents? In my house, I've got candelabra bulbs in the ceiling fans...

I bought a bunch of the candelabra CFLs. They look terrible. Candelabras are supposed to be bright, crisp looking, usually lots of glass. The CFLs are plastic covered, look completely cheap and out of place, and provide terrible light.

Yeah, I can really see someone with an expensive home and candelabra entryway lighting using CFLs and making an impression....

Put some in a ceiling fan, looked horrible. The ones in the lamps with shades dont seem bad at all.

For nightlights, LED ones are fairly cheap, $4 a piece. More costly than the incandescant,m but LEDs will outlast you, most likely.

http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Household-Traditional-Nightlight-ENLPLAU/dp/B0055OMAU4/ref=sr_1_16?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1318959791&sr=1-16


Look down at the "customers also viewed" bar for a lot more, the pathlights look pretty cool.

I bought a bunch of the candelabra CFLs. They look terrible. Candelabras are supposed to be bright, crisp looking, usually lots of glass. The CFLs are plastic covered, look completely cheap and out of place, and provide terrible light.

Yeah, I can really see someone with an expensive home and candelabra entryway lighting using CFLs and making an impression....

I have dimmer switches and I love to use my dimmer switches. I have built a bunker to house all of my soon to be illegal light bulbs so I can continue to enjoy my dimmer switches 'til death.

So, I read in the paper that we are *this close* to phasing out 100 watt incandescent bulbs. And I think 60 watts are out by the end of 2013 or 2014? That's all well and good when it comes to just sticking a CFL or LED bulb in a regular lamp, but what about all the myriad other types of bulbs in the house?



The fusion of science, love of nature and the good of man kind;

Glow n Dark Interstellar Propeller; Beany Cap Hat Small on eBay! (http://compare.ebay.com/like/350445737623?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y)

I have dimmer switches and I love to use my dimmer switches. I have built a bunker to house all of my soon to be illegal light bulbs so I can continue to enjoy my dimmer switches 'til death.

That's right - no dimmers with CFLs!!

So much for creating that "just right" lighting to get her in the mood. Guess we'll all have to revert back to candles.

I can see it now - nationwide increase in house fires due to carelessness with candles caused by ban on incandescent lightbulbs. :killingme

They make dimmable CFL's, CFL's in a flood light configuration, instant on and so on.

I didn't realize that. Of course, I haven't looked for them.


That being said, I have about 40-60 blubs in my attc just in case this CFL thing does't work out as planned.

Or if there is a Zombie Apocalypse!
Gotta be ready with stockpiles of weapons, ammo, gas, food, water, TP, and incandescant light bulbs! oh and Ketchup too! :killingme

Yeah, I am trying to get on board with CFLs and brace myself for $25-$40 LEDs. I'm also frustrated by CFLs slowness in coming up to full illumination, and the dimmable ones (that are more expensive, naturally) dim over a very limited range. And yes, they are ugly. I guess we're supposed to accept the new reality that lighting is going to be different (as in less dimmable, less attractive, and bulkier). I'm interested in seeing how well LEDs dim.

Yeah, I am trying to get on board with CFLs and brace myself for $25-$40 LEDs. I'm also frustrated by CFLs slowness in coming up to full illumination, and the dimmable ones (that are more expensive, naturally) dim over a very limited range. And yes, they are ugly. I guess we're supposed to accept the new reality that lighting is going to be different (as in less dimmable, less attractive, and bulkier). I'm interested in seeing how well LEDs dim.

An LED by itself has a minimum voltage to begin creating light. The newer LEDs can get pretty dim before they turn off. No idea how they react in the 120v version with added electronics.

If I were building a new house, I'd have it wired with a big power supply providing DC voltage (probably 5V USB plugs and 12V car plugs) throughout and use that to drive LEDs and/or EL wire and panels. Most of the expense of the LED bulbs is the circuitry to convert 110VAC into a DC voltage for the LEDs. You could also use the DC voltage to power most electronics if you have a clean enough power supply. DC really is a much better system, but AC is just needed to distribute the power.

If I were building a new house, I'd have it wired with a big power supply providing DC voltage (probably 5V USB plugs and 12V car plugs) throughout and use that to drive LEDs and/or EL wire and panels. Most of the expense of the LED bulbs is the circuitry to convert 110VAC into a DC voltage for the LEDs. You could also use the DC voltage to power most electronics if you have a clean enough power supply. DC really is a much better system, but AC is just needed to distribute the power.

I've always wanted to do the same thing, but run the 12v wiring to a separate panel connected to batteries charged by solar cells.

The argument for using AC vs DC was waged at the very beginning of the electrical emergence. If I recall, Edison wanted to use DC but was overruled. AC can deliver power over greater distances with little loss using simple transformers, whereas DC has high line loss over distance and you need expensive DC/DC inverters to convert the voltage.

The argument for using AC vs DC was waged at the very beginning of the electrical emergence. If I recall, Edison wanted to use DC but was overruled. AC can deliver power over greater distances with little loss using simple transformers, whereas DC has high line loss over distance and you need expensive DC/DC inverters to convert the voltage.

Exactly. But when I still lived in 7D at the end of Brown Rd some 30 years ago, the 'open' DC battery vat and all the wiring from it to the other buildings was still in place on that property. Pretty cool. I understand it was not supplanted by AC line power until around 1948.

I've always wanted to do the same thing, but run the 12v wiring to a separate panel connected to batteries charged by solar cells.

The argument for using AC vs DC was waged at the very beginning of the electrical emergence. If I recall, Edison wanted to use DC but was overruled. AC can deliver power over greater distances with little loss using simple transformers, whereas DC has high line loss over distance and you need expensive DC/DC inverters to convert the voltage.

Tesla was the DC proponent. Edison was for AC.

Tesla was the DC proponent. Edison was for AC.

Right. I knew Edison was involved, just didn't remember exactly, and too lazy to look it up... :biggrin:

As I recall, one of the tipping points was that Edison fronted the electric chair, and that had a big part in public opinion. Ah, I was close......

Electric chair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_chair)

two of his workers developed it for New York. And he electrocuted a bunch of animals, ostensibly to show that electrocution was a painless method, but also as a sly way to work against adoption of Westinghouses AC, by showing how dangerous it was.

ylex, you have it backwards. We think of Edison being on the winning side, but not this time, he was the DC guy. George Westinghouse bought Tesla's polyphase AC system patents and.

George Westinghouse - The History of Electricity (http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blwestinghouse.htm)