Dummy's guide to light bulbs, 2013/2014 replacement of the incandescent

CNN/Tech/Innovations, Josh Levs, 12/31/13.  "Obit:  RIP, light bulb."

CFL light bulb

....  "Farewell, traditional light bulb. As the clock strikes midnight, the light dims on your reign as the mechanical illuminator of human existence.  Rest in peace.  This was no sudden death. The diagnosis came in years ago, in 2007, when President George W. Bush signed a law to replace standard incandescents with more efficient bulbs. Much more. Only about 10% of the energy these traditional bulbs use is for light, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

LED light bulb

....  Seventy-five- and 100-watt bulbs were already banned this year. The ban on production of 40 and 60-watt bulbs -- the most popular in the country -- kicks in as 2014 begins.

"There are 4 billion light bulb sockets in the U.S. and more than 3 billion of them still use the standard incandescent technology that hasn't changed much in 125 years," the EPA says. "A standard incandescent is only 10% efficient -- the other 90% of the electricity it uses is lost as heat."  Read Article.

Reference - Wikipedia/CFL. "A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also called compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light, and compact fluorescent tube, is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent lamp; some types fit into light fixtures formerly used for incandescent lamps."  

Wikipedia, LED.   "An LED lamp is a light-emitting diode (LED) product that is assembled into a lamp (or light bulb) for use in lighting fixtures. LED lamps have a lifespan and electrical efficiency that is several times better than incandescent lamps, and significantly better than most fluorescent lamps, with some chips able to emit more than 100 lumens per watt.  Like incandescent lamps and unlike most fluorescent lamps (e.g. tubes and CFL), LED lights come to full brightness without need for a warm-up time; the life of fluorescent lighting is also reduced by frequent switching on and off."  Wikipedia, Diode.  "In electronics, a diode is a two-terminal electronic component with asymmetric conductance, it has low (ideally zero) resistance to current flow in one direction, and high (ideally infinite) resistance in the other."

Seattle, WA/Seattle City Light, "Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are a great breakthrough in efficiency for home and business lighting. .... In the last few years, because of improvements in the Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR® specification, there has been considerable improvement in CFLs. They have longer life and better color, and are available in a wide variety of color temperatures, styles, wattages and base sizes, including CFLs for dimmer switches, recessed cans, vanity lights and chandeliers."  For best use and efficiency, see the "CFL Killers" chart.

Related articles -  Star Telegram/Nation (Fort Worth, Tx), Anna M. Tinsley, 1/2/14, "Bye-bye, old-fashion incandescent light bulbs."  Pros and cons. Energy Department officials say traditional bulbs waste up to 90 percent of their energy as heat. They say replacing a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 13-watt compact fluorescent bulb can save a household at least $30 in energy costs during the life of that bulb — which can be 10 times longer than that of an incandescent bulb. Many incandescent bulbs last 750 to 1,000 hours.  Fluorescent bulbs can cost more than $3 each; incandescent bulbs can cost around 50 cents each. Some LED bulbs can cost $30 or more apiece."  The article includes an embedded consumer resistance video, 1:21 minutes.  

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/01/5454479/bye-bye-old-fashioned-incandescent.html#storylink=cpy

NBC News/Business/Martha C.White, Contributor, 1/2/14, "Stockpilers take a dim view of new bulb ban." "In a recent Osram Sylvania survey (Press Release), 30 percent of respondents said they plan to stockpile, more than double the number who said they planned to squirrel away incandescent bulbs just a couple of years ago, said company spokeswoman Anne Guertin."   From the survey link within the Press Release:  Comparison chart of light bulbs:  CFL, LED, Halogen, Incandescent (scroll down).   

Technical videos exist on You Tube, one example:  Illustra Lighting, LED vs CFL Bulb, 4:09 minutes.    Note photographs:  CFL light bulb from "Enhance the human experience" blog.  LED light bulb from "How Stuff Works" courtesy of C. Crane Company, Inc.

: Friday, December 27 2013, 08:32 AM EST (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - You may be in the dark when it comes to replacing traditional light bulbs in 2014. That's because production of the popular 60 and 40 watt incandescent light bulbs ends January 1st. It's been a gradual fade out from the old to new energy-efficient bulbs since the Energy Independence and Security Act was passed in 2007. Friday morning we were joined by Jordan Lehner of Home Depot to tell us more about it.

Read More at: http://www.wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_interview-phasing-out-incandescent-light-bulbs-16931.shtml

Updated: Friday, December 27 2013, 08:32 AM EST (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - You may be in the dark when it comes to replacing traditional light bulbs in 2014. That's because production of the popular 60 and 40 watt incandescent light bulbs ends January 1st. It's been a gradual fade out from the old to new energy-efficient bulbs since the Energy Independence and Security Act was passed in 2007. Friday morning we were joined by Jordan Lehner of Home Depot to tell us more about it.

Read More at: http://www.wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_interview-phasing-out-incandescent-light-bulbs-16931.shtml

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - You may be in the dark when it comes to replacing traditional light bulbs in 2014. That's because production of the popular 60 and 40 watt incandescent light bulbs ends January 1st. It's been a gradual fade out from the old to new energy-efficient bulbs since the Energy Independence and Security Act was passed in 2007. Friday morning we were joined by Jordan Lehner of Home Depot to tell us more about it.

Read More at: http://www.wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_interview-phasing-out-incandescent-light-bulbs-16931.shtml

Posted by Kathy Meeh