Incandescent phase out? What next?

[Deane Johnson]

As I understand it, the new Energy Bill recently signed into law requires the beginning phase-out of incandescent bulbs by either 2010 or 2012. That's only 2 to 4 years. The major focus of the media has been on automobile mileage and this sort of got buried.

Since most of us using any sort of home automation or control dim incandescents regularly, any idea what we're going to do? I have to wonder if all of these new Insteon, Z-Wave, UPB and the old X-10 dimmers will become useless.

Anyone following this at all? I'm hopeful I have it wrong, but it seemed rather clear to me.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/e...ght-bulbs_N.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=59298
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/e...ulbs-ban-461217

 

[Brightan]

As I understand it, the new Energy Bill recently signed into law requires the beginning phase-out of incandescent bulbs by either 2010 or 2012. That's only 2 to 4 years. The major focus of the media has been on automobile mileage and this sort of got buried.

Since most of us using any sort of home automation or control dim incandescents regularly, any idea what we're going to do? I have to wonder if all of these new Insteon, Z-Wave, UPB and the old X-10 dimmers will become useless.

Anyone following this at all? I'm hopeful I have it wrong, but it seemed rather clear to me.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/e...ght-bulbs_N.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=59298
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/e...ulbs-ban-461217

I'm going to stock up on enough incandescents to last me till I can replace them with LED lights when they will eventually be affordable. I refuse to use CF for too many reasons to get into (and I think its been debated around here before)

 

[TeleFragger]

I'm going to stock up on enough incandescents to last me till I can replace them with LED lights when they will eventually be affordable. I refuse to use CF for too many reasons to get into (and I think its been debated around here before)

well I wont get into it as now I have to search on what the debate is on CF...
I have been upgrading to CF and have seen my electric bill go down.. WAY DOWN!!!!

from $350ish to $194

that also is due to putting motion sensors and light switches in to shut a few lights off.... like crawl space, garage and util room.. still need to do laundry room and master closet... also hallways..... my goal is to get my electric bill down to $100!!!!

 

[AO-Brandon]

I will be stocking up on incandescent bulbs myself. Give me thirty minutes under a CFL and I get a migrane. Thanks to this bill, a lot of us that suffer from migranes and have sensitivity to certain light will no longer be able to live quite as comfortably.

 

[opie]

As I understand it, the new Energy Bill recently signed into law requires the beginning phase-out of incandescent bulbs by either 2010 or 2012. That's only 2 to 4 years. The major focus of the media has been on automobile mileage and this sort of got buried.

Since most of us using any sort of home automation or control dim incandescents regularly, any idea what we're going to do? I have to wonder if all of these new Insteon, Z-Wave, UPB and the old X-10 dimmers will become useless.

Anyone following this at all? I'm hopeful I have it wrong, but it seemed rather clear to me.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/e...ght-bulbs_N.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=59298
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/e...ulbs-ban-461217

Deane,

I have many clients I have installed lighting control for with the same concerns so I researched the topic a bit.

There are options out there and there will be more to come. The law requires a gradual phase out based more on the efficiency of bulbs based on lumens per watt and not exactly a flat ban on incandescents. Manufacturers are working very hard to engineer and produce replacements; there is a lot of money to be made here.

One current option is a higher efficiency halogen bulb from Philips Lighting under the Halogená Energy Saver or Energy Advantage brands. These bulbs meet the new efficiency standards by using 30% less energy while only producing 10% less light. Over time the efficiencies required increase year over year and eventually these may not meet the standards either. These bulbs are able to be dimmed.

A second option is the dimmable CFL. Not a very good option since many will begin to flicker when dimmed and most can't be dimmed below 20%. They also tend to change color towards the cooler end of the spectrum which is typically not desired when dimming. They are however a long term alternative to replacing your switches.

Hybrid Bulbs are on the horizon and use a nano film capsule inside the bulb that has a sort of recycling effect and increases efficiency. Do a search on these for more info, very cool technology.

According to many in the industry, LEDs are the big hope for the future. In fact, there is a $10M prize for the first LED replacement to meet a certain set of criteria set by the Department of Energy.

My point is, there is too much money to be made to let this pass.

A great place for information is the Home Lighting Control Alliance check out their white papers.

Scott

 

[aehusted]

If you are stocking up, you might want to keep an eye on Riteaid's single check rebates. There are often free light bulbs on the list. I am not sure if this is a local thing or what.

I am still rather surprised that the disposal of CFLs does not get more attention. They are promoted without much mention of the mercury and electronics that they contain. They don't last forever and so far Ikea is the only retailer I know of that will take them back for recycling. I have a few in places where they make sense, but I too am holding out for LED solutions.

I will be stocking up on incandescent bulbs myself. Give me thirty minutes under a CFL and I get a migrane. Thanks to this bill, a lot of us that suffer from migranes and have sensitivity to certain light will no longer be able to live quite as comfortably.

 

[GraysonPeddie]

Last Friday morning, when I was at the hotel in Orlando (not sure what the name is, but it's got Bose Wave Music System, and that the hotel is next to Double Tree, as far as I remember), my mom woke up to do some homework, which required lighting and when I woke up, I was waking up to a VERY HARSH light -- so harsh that it kept my eyes closed to sleep! My eyes got better after few minutes of waking up.

So, incandescents for the win. I despise of CFL bulbs...

 

[opie]

...They don't last forever and so far Ikea is the only retailer I know of that will take them back for recycling. I have a few in places where they make sense, but I too am holding out for LED solutions.

It may only be a regional thing but ACE Hardware locations in Colorado are supposed to take CFLs for recycling.

I agree with the general opinion that CFLs suck.

 

[Deane Johnson]

Opie, you offer at least some comfort in the situation. I'm also wondering if current dimmers will work with newer developments such as LEDs.

I have a lot of 110v halogens already and they work just fine. As a matter of fact, I'm amazed at how much light lower wattage halogens can put out.

CFL just doesn't seem workable to me. Some people may be comfortable with them, but they surely can't be doing much with them artistically.

 

[sic0048]

I use a total of two CF in my house. One in each of my childrens closets. They like to keep the light on all night as a sudo nightlight. CF work well in this setting - low power, no cares about looks or dimming, and they last a long time. Using incandecent lights, I was replacing them every month or so. I haven't replaced either CF since putting them in.

However, I agree that for main stream lighting needs, CF just don't cut it currently.

 

[gregjsmith]

As I understand it, the new Energy Bill recently signed into law requires the beginning phase-out of incandescent bulbs by either 2010 or 2012. That's only 2 to 4 years. The major focus of the media has been on automobile mileage and this sort of got buried.

They are not phasing out incandescents. They are upping the efficiency requirements for them. If I recall the major incandescent manufacturers said they can meet these requirements with incandescent bulbs until 2020. By 2020 they may have improved the technology further.

This is from the linked thedailygreen.com article.

Under the measure, all light bulbs must use 25% to 30% less energy than today's products by 2012 to 2014. The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70% more efficient.

 

[Madcodger]

Just a quick two cents on CFLs... The quality is highly variable in terms of aesthetics. We have a house full of dimmable CFLs that look great (Phillips). On the other hand, I've purchased the discount / bargain types and been VERY disappointed. I'm not all that thrilled with GE's entries, either, but that may be an individual taste thing. For those of you considering CFLs, they CAN look great, but I haven't found the low price products to be representative of the whole class.

 

[bc8401]

i know the liberals are attempting to make everyone green, but i can't see incandescents going away anytime soon, florescents are efficient but expensive plus they contain mercury which i feel should be dealt with first. i recently installed a slug of led 6" can lights for a customer in his basement. the housing is just a halo can light and the trim/balast is made by cooper lighting who owns halo. the led's cost about $100.00 available in different color spectrums, they consume 12w@120v and have a listed lifespan of 50k hours. i didn't check to see if they were dimmable though.

 

[IVB]

liberals are attempting to make everyone green? What an incredibly ignorant statement.

How about "those unwilling to spend ANOTHER $1.5 trillion dollars on a war over our cocaine, eh, oil, addiction".

 

[RobWalker]

...They don't last forever and so far Ikea is the only retailer I know of that will take them back for recycling. I have a few in places where they make sense, but I too am holding out for LED solutions.

It may only be a regional thing but ACE Hardware locations in Colorado are supposed to take CFLs for recycling.

I agree with the general opinion that CFLs suck.

In Ontario Home Depot stores have started having CFL recycling containers in them.

But I'll echo the general sentiment -- we tried hard to build energy efficient, but when it comes to CFL's I just couldn't put them everywhere. They are great for areas where I don't care too much about the light quality, and for outside. Elsewhere I'll uses incandescents while I can and rely on dimming and automated control to keep the hydro bill down!

(Given that for 6 months of the year we are heating the place so much anyway saving a few $ on lighting would just add it to the heating bill!)