Article

2019-09-05 -Land of the Free

Trump administration rolls back Obama-era lightbulb rules

[THEHILL] The Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a controversial rule Tuesday that would erase Obama-era efficiency standards for lightbulbs.

The regulation eliminates efficiency standards for about half the bulbs on the market. It leaves in place rules for standard pear-shaped bulbs, while removing such requirements for recessed lighting, chandeliers and other shapes of bulbs.

When first proposed, the rule was supported by lightbulb manufacturers, but consumer groups estimate continuing to use less-efficient bulbs will cost the average household more than $100 a year and create more pollution as utilities produce energy that otherwise would not be needed.

"The Energy Department flat out got it wrong today. Instead of moving us forward, this rule will keep more energy-wasting bulbs on store shelves," Jason Hartke, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, said in a statement. "If you wanted folks to pay a lot more than they should on electric bills, this rollback would be a pretty good way of doing it."

The rule will increase U.S. electricity use by 80 billion kilowatt hours over the course of a year, roughly the amount of electricity needed to power all households in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to an analysis by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

DOE argued its rule will have little impact given the increasing demand for LED bulbs, which use less electricity than many other types.

Posted by Fred 2019-09-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top

#1 LED lights are better and not much more expensive than incandescents. High use lights should all be LEDs. When low usage incandescents burn out replace them w/ LEDs.

Posted by Zenobia Ebbineger7578 2019-09-05 05:28|| 2019-09-05 05:28|| Front Page Top

#2 So did the journolist narrativing that "article" bother to find anyone supporting this "it's for your own good" regulation?

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2019-09-05 05:36|| 2019-09-05 05:36|| Front Page Top

#3 I have been patiently awaiting such a rollback on laws against traditional incandescent light bulbs.
(Just as I have been longing for the days when we will resort back to the traditional values that made our country great in the past.)
I remember the days I used to buy four high quality GE light bulbs in a pack for just 99 cents at the grocery store a decade or two ago.
Because of the forced switch to LED GE closed down their great light bulb factory which made good quality bulbs by the millions.
Now I have to buy cheap bulbs at the 99 cent store.
The only brands available now like "Sunbeam" are imported from China because the GE plant was closed down.
I have to check every bulb in the store before I buy it to make sure the filament is not already broken (just like I check all of my eggs at the grocery store).
Some bulbs are OK, but many others may only last few switches or less than an hour.
I guess because the tungsten filament is not pure enough or the shielding gas is not good enough in the bulb they just do not last.

I use a special parabolic light bulb as a spot light called the PAR20.
The PAR20 at high wattage makes a great work light to see deep into the engine compartment for inspection.
In order to work for inspection the bulb must be of high wattage.
I prefer 75 watts to penetrate deep into confined spaces.
But now only low wattage PAR20 bulbs can be found, around 45 watts.
PAR20's are now expensive, $5 ea at Home Depot.
During work the bulb may break from rough service.
So my price is one dollar for a bulb.

I used to buy nice high lumenosity fluorescent tubes at Grainger for $10.
But now due to the ban on high mercury content in bulbs in California I can no longer get these nice bright fluorescent tubes.
Daguerre accidentally discovered mercury increases sensitivity to light if that is related.
Mercury vapor lights are very bright.
The only fluorescent tubes one can buy now are low mercury and low lumenosity yet they are still very expensive.

The price of fluorescent bulbs is probably so high now because of a California hazardous waste disposal fee hidden in the price.
My fluorescent light tubes last a long time, 15 years, because they are only needed at night for short times.
I think the fluorescent tubes die from age, not from hours of use.
So a fluorescent tube is a financial and a hazardous waste when a 25 cent light bulb would last just a long since they are only used for a few hours a week.

I might be interested in LED bulbs if I could get higher wattages.
I suspect wattage is limited in LED's because of problems with heat dissipation.
The cooling fins on high wattage LED's make them look ugly.
LED's are designed for low wattage.
To increase watts the number of chips are increased, which is why the chips come in linear strips.
Strips work great under cabinets where they are not seen, but are not appealing on ceilings where they can be seen.

Environmentalists can not understand my needs for incandescent light bulb because they do not do the work that I do.
The environmentalists would force us all to use underpowered lights so they can feel good about themselves believing they are helping to save the environment.
Democratic constituents are not great achievers so of course they are unable to be responsible for their own environmental decisions.

I know what lights work best for me in my situation so I have wasted hundreds of hours of Internet research
trying to find something that may no longer be available because it is not considered to be efficient enough and so has been banned.

Posted by boomerc 2019-09-05 07:51|| 2019-09-05 07:51|| Front Page Top

#4 So my lifetime stash purchase of 100 watters and other incandescent bulbs to thwart Obum les and other tree hugging idiots didn’t pan out? Its OK, I picked up about 10000 plastic straws.....

Posted by USN, Ret. 2019-09-05 09:25|| 2019-09-05 09:25|| Front Page Top

#5 USN, don't you live in California? Don't let your plastic straw stash become public knowledge, or a SWAT team will be there to confiscate them.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2019-09-05 09:43|| 2019-09-05 09:43|| Front Page Top

#6 Load them in a magazine and make them assault straws! Double ban!

I got an idea. How about you put bulbs out there that people want and let them make the choice?!?

I know, statists would never allow people to think on their own.

Posted by DarthVader 2019-09-05 10:38|| 2019-09-05 10:38|| Front Page Top

#7 If it makes you feel better, think of that program as A Fancy Lad's Introduction to Electricity Rationing.

Posted by swksvolFF 2019-09-05 12:22|| 2019-09-05 12:22|| Front Page Top

#8 LEDS flicker which can lead to health problems. The high amount of blue light can impact your sleep, and in real world use they don't last very long. I have incandescents that still work fine many years later, and brand name LEDs which have failed after just a few months. So let the market decide.

Posted by Iblis 2019-09-05 13:15|| 2019-09-05 13:15|| Front Page Top

#9 On the other hand I do appreciate the way this was rolled out on the manufacturing level instead of doing some kind of bulb buy-back.

Posted by ruprecht 2019-09-05 15:10|| 2019-09-05 15:10|| Front Page Top

#10 Call them combined heat and power lights. Dual use items...

Only inefficient in cases where it's already too hot.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2019-09-05 17:02|| 2019-09-05 17:02|| Front Page Top

#11 Rambler: not CA but close, Washington where the pols are giving the CA Dems a run for their (our) money in the “we can out-stupid” you olympics.
just renewed my rv tabs and see i now have to pay $6.00 for abandoned rv disposal.
why hold ne’er do wells accountable???

Posted by USN, Ret. 2019-09-05 18:37|| 2019-09-05 18:37|| Front Page Top

#12 Old bulbs didn't have toxic mercury in them. Just saying.

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-09-05 18:51|| 2019-09-05 18:51|| Front Page Top

#13 Old bulbs didn't have toxic mercury in them. Just saying.

For since forever, we've been hearing "Oh Noes! Mercury in the water! Mercury in the air!" and then we got those curly fluorescents, those little vials of mercury just waiting to break and turn your living room into a hazmat site. Seriously, WTF?

Posted by SteveS 2019-09-05 19:16|| 2019-09-05 19:16|| Front Page Top

#14 Put a ceiling fan in my then infant daughter's room, one of them pig dick CFLs with the 2-prong connect.

Put the thing in and was stepping down from the chair when the SOB popped out of the socket.

Pulled a Matrix and actually caught the thing, because wood floor.

Posted by swksvolFF 2019-09-05 22:05|| 2019-09-05 22:05|| Front Page Top

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