Lights Out In California?

New Bill Calls For Banning The Common Light Bulb

(AP)  How many people does it take to change a light bulb? In California, the answer could be a majority of the Legislature.

The electricity-wasting incandescent bulb would be banned — replaced by energy-efficient compact fluorescents — under a bill that Assemblyman Lloyd Levine plans to introduce.

He says the spiral light sources are so efficient that consumers should be forced to use them. The compact bulbs use one-fourth the electricity spent in an equivalent incandescent.

"Incandescent light bulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications," Levine, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said in a news release Tuesday. "It's time to take a step forward."

The bulb bill was not yet on the legislative calendar. Last year, the Legislature passed a Levine bill that requires large supermarkets to recycle plastic bags. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed that bill but has not taken a position on the light bulb proposal.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who represents San Rafael, is working on a similar bill.

Critics say people should be allowed to make their own choices about which bulbs they buy, but Levine, who heads the Assembly's Utilities and Commerce Committee, points out that electric utilities give them away.

[legendary240]

I am thinking of going to all-natural candles. Also, I am going to rearrange my schedaule so that I am only active during daylight. Maybe we could all go back to the six hour a day electricity cycle where one block gets the morning today and tomorrow they get the afternoon. That's what they did here about a hundred years ago. AND they used incandescent bulbs too. LED seems to be the front-runner to economically replace the dependable bulb.

[warblitz4]

I have several compact fluorescent bulbs in use at my home. They seem a little bulky and need a minute or so to reach their maximum brightness; if you need bright light quickly, they're not as good as incandescents. I'm more impressed with LED lighting as I've seen in flashlights and nite lites.

[cmp271]

I am thinking of switching to them anyway as they do last longer than the regular bulbs. If it cuts down on my energy bill at least a dollar or two it would be good news.

Is there more mercury in them?

[WatchDog45]

Speaqking of Legislation in California.

Is this also where there has recenlty been talk of making it illegal to spank your children?

ALL these fluorescent bulbs are made in communist China

[WatchDog45]

This sounds on the surface like a wonderful thing. My concern with these bulbs and legislating their use is the dramatic increase in numbers could potentially cause environmental problems and we all know how much Californians love the enviornment. The extremely low usage of these bulbs by consumers has very little environmental impact. These bulbs go out with the regular trash and end up in the landfill. With mandated use, every fixture in California and eventually America will have this bulb. With the increased usage will come increased refuse, the small amount of mercury in each bulb might leach into our water supply and food chain. Has an environmental impact study been considered?

[bigwhtpony]

As an electrical engineer, I think it would be an interesting "thought experiment." Those incandescent bulbs are not that efficient. In a 1 house scenario, it might not make much of a difference.

Multiply it over a few million homes and you might be on to something. If everyone used them in CA, I estimate on overall reduction in demand of approx. 5% - 10%.

Not enough to trade an acceptable form of light for an artificial looking light - IMO. It would be interesting.

[consciousnes]

Ya gotta start somewhere.

[dogband]

Brilliant...force all folks,rich and poor to use the light bulbs of your choosing, while allowing what may be the largest number of Hummers and huge personal SUVs [with horrible gas mileage]per capita to drive your freeways. You guys are absolutely brilliant.

[slclark0029]

We have replaced all our old lightbulbs in our house with the spiral bulbs, and In the last 3 months, our electric bill has not changed one bit.
Never again will I waste that much money on lightbulbs, especially the ones that claim to be "energy efficient".