Obama Touts New Light Bulb Standards
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
"I know light bulbs might not seem sexy," Mr. Obama said, "but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses."
He framed the efforts as part of his goal to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil through a variety of means, including through the cap and trade legislation that passed in the House on Friday.
"When we put aside the posturing and politics... a simple choice emerges," Mr. Obama said. "We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy. That's our choice: Between a slow decline and renewed prosperity. Between the past and the future."
The president said the new look at light bulbs is starting at the White House.
"Secretary Chu is already taking a look at our light bulbs," he said.
Energy Secretary Steve Chu will also expand and accelerate the deployment of energy efficient technologies in new buildings, something that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act began, the president said.
He pointed to the state of California as an example of what stricter energy efficiency standards could achieve. In the late 1970's, California enacted tougher energy policies, which the president said, helped create millions of jobs. Today, he said, Californians consume 40 percent less energy per person than the national average.
"One of the fastsest, easiest and cheapest ways to make our economy stronger and cleaner is to make our economy more energy efficient," he said.
The American people, Mr. Obama said, "expect us to move forward right now" to create a clean energy economy.
To that end, the president praised the House for passing the climate change measure, which he said "will finally open the door to decreasing our dependence on foreign oil," and he added, "create new business, new industries and millions of new jobs... all without placing untenable burdens on the American people or business."
Mr. Obama said he is confident the Senate will also "choose to move this country forward."
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Cannot see under them. Staying with old bulbs. Every time i buy one, they either do not work upon purchase or few months later go out. They could have made the tungstan wire thicker, I have some really old bulbs that have lasted more than couple decades. I sold some fancy ones where they had the wire in shapes. Over 60 years old and they still worked. Made a lot of money on those, selling them off. These new ones are just more "green" junk that does not work. All they had to do was increase the wire to a thicker and more lasting effort.
Regards,
darcylars
http://www.lyco.co.uk/
Freedom of choice will be the correct way to let the country handle change.
Left to freedom of choice, there will be no change. People are just to lazy.
I am all for efficiency and hate to waste. To regulate that I have use a flourecent instead of a dimmer is rediculous. Our government (USA) needs back off and let people come to there own conclusions. First they want to see slow change so that people don't loose there jobs to fast due to rapid technology changes. Then they want to push it with flourecent mercury light bulbs. Freedom of choice will be the correct way to let the country handle change.
For instance, I wonder how many people know that if one of these bulbs should break, that you are supposed to leave the house for 10 minutes because of the mercury fumes? Or if when they clean it up, you are supposed to wear gloves and you are supposed to use cardboard or whatever to sweep it up. What ever you use also needs to be disposed of properly too.
Those spiral lights stink. I use them, but their light is poor, the color is bad, and they are dim.
I don't find that they are dim, but they are BAD. No one should be using the "spiral" CFL bulbs. They give off VERY dirty electricity. People have been getting sick from them. If you have them, do NOT sit near them. The ones you should be getting are the "closed" CFL bulbs. They look like the incandescent bulbs only shaped slightly different.