In comments on the previous post Jed points out:
Uh, halogens are incandescent. If the wording in the bill is broad enough, it will ban those too.
I think he’s right.
I went slogging through Section 321 of the final energy bill, and while I’m still quite confused, I don’t see any exemption for halogens and presume they fall under the definition of a general purpose incandescent lamp. I just did a quick refresher on halogen lamp technology while I was at it. From what I gather they’re only slightly more efficient than standard bulbs. What they’re good at is lasting longer is really about it.
The crux of the section is the table spelling out the new efficiency requirements:
| Rated Lumen Ranges | Maximum Rate Wattage | Minium Rae Lifetime | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1490 – 2600 | 72 | 1000 hours | 1/1/2012 |
| 1050 – 1489 | 53 | 1000 hours | 1/1/2013 |
| 750 – 1049 | 43 | 1000 hours | 1/1/2014 |
| 310 – 749 | 29 | 1000 hours | 1/1/2014 |
Any incandescent kicking out more than 2600 lumens* or less than 310 lumens isn’t covered by this legislation. That’s spelled out in Sec.321(a)(1)(D)(i)(III) and fairly obvous when you’re looking at the chart. I have no idea what would be at the high end of that spectrum, but at the lower end it looks like our betters are going to permit us to keep little night lights around the house to keep the kiddies from seeing monsters and the adults from stubbing our toes in the dead of night.
Thanks, congress! We love you too!
So, halogens, do we get to keep them? Well, I just put in 4 50W halogen bulbs in my kitchen area the other week. I’ve tossed the packaging so let’s see if we can find them online. This looks about right. Lumen output: 550.
Yep, that’s half as much output as Congress wants for 50W of usage. Golly, if an $8 bulb isn’t good enough for them just what the heck am I going to have to spend to find something that is?
*UPDATE: Apparently something like this bulb is a regular incandescent bulb that’ll kick out north of 2600 lumens (based on some math in my head) by pushing 250W through the filament. Problem: They only last for 3 hours!
[...] has more information on the incandescent light ban passed by Congress. Looks like halogen bulbs will be affected as well. I’ve decided that [...]
You keep this up, and I might have to actually read the accursed thing myself. Given what you’re reporting, it sounds as if it isn’t a ban on incandescent bulbs as a type. So I wonder if the state of technology for those is already as good as it can get, practically speaking, for efficiency.
Also, it’s possible to turn the bureaucracy against itself here, as there are definite problems with fluorescent bulbs in certain applications, such as wood shops, where the strobe effect can cause moving blades to appear stationary. I wonder what OSHA thinks of that. (Not that I want OSHA to get even more obnoxious, but there’s a little smugness factor there.)
Hmm, I forsee 2700 lumen incandescent bulbs arriving on hardware store shelves in the near future…
Aren’t automotive bulbs halogen and therefore subject?
Nope automotive bulbs won’t be covered. They spend page after page detailing what’s a general purpose bulb and what isn’t in the legislation. Among other properties the bulb has to have a medium base as defined by some ANSI standard for this legislation to cover it.
That keeps Christmas lights, decorative lights, etc. from falling under the new restrictions.
See, I figured if I waited long enough, someone would do my research for me.
It has to have medium base? Oh, well, there’s a loophole big enough to drive a truck through. And several crates of halogen lamps. So typical of our elected representatives to be so stupid as to effectively ban a type of lightbulb, but make the ban specific enough so that a minor adaptation renders it useless. I foresee sales of small-base adapters going up. Pain in the butt for bulb mfrs to retool to small base, though. Oh, and large quantities of halogen track systems are unaffected as well.
Hmm, I forsee 2700 lumen incandescent bulbs arriving on hardware store shelves in the near future…
Don’t hold your breath. As I understand it the lumen output of an incandescent is pretty much linear, so in order to get 2700 lumens you’d need to be pushing 200-250 watts through the bulb. I don’t see a lumen output rating but these bulbs seem to fit the bill.
Bad: They’re $4 each.
Deal breaker: They have a life span of 3 hours.
Interesting. I forsee a resurgence of old mogul base lamps. Those things are huge but available in sizes from 40 watts to 300 watts. I have one of those table lamps around here somewhere.
I used to work for an online light bulb company, 1000bulbs, and I know how big of an impact this is going to have on the lighting industry. However, if you read into this, Philips was pushing for this legislation to force their cheaper competitors out of business. As if that wasn’t enough, if you read the bill; it also includes millions of dollars in “prize money” for the company that invents the first bulbs that pass the standards Philips has helped devise.
I hate CFLs. Sure, some people may have a good reason for using and even promoting them, but I do not like them. I have nothing against making them better, but I do not like them. I want to use incandescent light bulbs; I don’t care if they use more energy or may cost more money. It is just wrong for the government to ban them.
If I cannot obtain normal light bulbs in the future, then I will have to stock up on 100 watts.
I respect the opinions and desires of everyone, but I will not tolerate the lack of tolerance for mine.