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There have been heated debates about light bulbs ever since Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This law imposed efficiency standards that spelled the end of the incandescent bulb. Since its passage, the law’s requirements have been under attack from many quarters.
But, despite implementation delays, industry saw the handwriting on the wall. Production of 100-watt bulbs was discontinued in October, 2012. If this seems like an unfortunate turn of events, consider the hardest-working light bulb that you probably own: the lamppost in your front yard.
Many of us have one that turns itself on at dusk and off at dawn. It’s comforting and friendly. It’s also on for an average of 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. In the Northeast, where electricity prices are high, running a 100-watt bulb in that lamppost costs about $65 dollars a year.
Replacing that 100-watt incandescent bulb with an equivalent compact fluorescent, or one of the newer LED bulbs, will reduce its operation costs to about $15 dollars a year. So you could save $50 dollars a year simply by changing a bulb. Even if the new bulb is expensive, it will pay off in the long run.
So while you might lament the demise of Thomas Edison’s pride and joy, take comfort in the fact that you will have a few hundred dollars more to spend on something else while your lamppost continues to shine on your home.
Photo, taken on November 19, 2008, courtesy of Anton Fomkin via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.