MarketWatch reports that a new Department of Energy rule has gone into effect this week that “bans the manufacture and sale of what the department has deemed inefficient ‘general service lamps.’ That’s the official way of saying standard light bulbs screwed into lamps and ceiling fixtures, mostly in homes.”
According to the story, “Most incandescent and halogen bulbs, an incandescent option that includes halogen gas to boost brightness and longevity, fail to meet new energy-efficiency standards and are banned by the rule. Manufacturers and retailers face a fine if they violate the ban, but consumers can’t be penalized for using up old inventory.”
Likely to be banned in 2025 are compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), the story says.
Combined, the story says, “elimination of this trio of light bulbs makes LEDs, which stands for light-emitting diodes, the bulb most households will have to opt for, with some exceptions, such as heat lamps.
“It’s a bulb type that consumer groups and environmental advocates say saves money and energy, largely because traditional bulb styles, unlike LEDs, don’t turn the electrical energy they use directly into light, but first into heat. There’s a reason a toy Easy-Bake Oven, powered by a bulb, turns out a small cake.
“Instead, with LEDs, an electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources to create visible light.”
KC’s View:
Inconvenient? Sure. But if this is a positive step – even if a small step – toward a more responsible stewardship of energy, then I’m good with that. I’ll adjust.
The post Turn Out The Lights, The Party’s Over appeared first on MNB.
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