The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday kicked off a campaign to get U.S. consumers to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs as a way of reducing energy spending and greenhouse gas emissions.
Yup. Real leadership.
The agency wants every U.S. household to change at least one traditional bulb to an Energy Star bulb, collectively saving $600 million a year in energy costs and preventing enough greenhouse gas emissions to equal what is spewed from the tailpipes of 800,000 cars.
At the end of the article, a White House flunky babbles a bit more about leadership – and new building codes. The new building codes will “evolve” in the United States the same way they have for years. We’ll eventually get around to copying and adopting European building codes.
Meanwhile:
Wal-Mart Stores announced it has surpassed its goal to sell 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) by the end of 2007. Over the lifetime of the CFLs, Wal-Mart estimates that these energy-saving bulbs will have the effect of taking 700,000 cars off the road, or conserving the energy needed to power 450,000 single-family homes.
Looks like Green Power is making things green faster than anything done by Congress or the White House. Or the EPA.
Oh boy mercury from 100 million cfls coming soon. I think I’ll buy stock in fish farms now.
In total, those 100 million bulbs already sold by Wal-Mart contained about 900 pounds of mercury, one of the most potent neurotoxins known. But I’m sure they’ll all be recycled responsibly, just like all those batteries…
And, of course, you’re all doing your responsible best to help energy consumption in so many other ways. Like Bush. Like the EPA.
Copouts!
Some states (notably Connecticut and Rhode Island) have already published timetables for banning regular incandescent bulb sales in those states within the next four or five years. They didn’t wait for our beloved national government to pave the way.
And speaking of disposal, how about that woman in Maine who accidentally broke a CFL in her house, asked city hall about disposal, and got a state government hazmat team in bunny suits at her front door for a response? She also got a heck of a cleanup bill.
[edited – comments guide]
These $7 lightbulbs provide poor and flickering lighting and to break even on them takes several years.
There is a reason these bulbs haven’t taken off that has nothing to do with energy savings or the environment (which is arguable worse off with these due to the mercury).
Like solar panels, these compact fluorescent bulbs are a false hope.
There may be ways to save a lot of energy, but this ain’t it.
I have tried some of the energy efficient bulbs. I have several issues with them. One is the cost, plus the life of some of them have not even come close to helping pay for their expense. They are also slow to come on and their brightness is poor for a minute or two. Lastly they do not do well in cold weather. Unless you use them in a place where the light is on most of the time. I cannot see the real savings here. I can think of so many other appliances and products that use so much more electricity. I have also read that the toxic materials in these bulbs are worse. So are we just taken a nail out of one coffin to put in another?
Re: Mercury
Keep in mind that the amount of mercury in a CFL is still a lot less than the amount that would be produced by a coal plant producing the difference in energy used between an incandescent and a fluorescent over the life of the bulb.
Yes, we will need to ensure that they are disposed of properly. Mercury is bad. But, at least it’s contained in the bulb and ready for disposal rather than coughed into the air by a coal plant.
There is a reason these bulbs haven’t taken off that has nothing to do with energy savings or the environment
3 reasons:
1. Cost – a $7 CF or a 50 incandescent. Due the math, most people don’t think long term, but by what they have in their pocket.
2. FUD – Stories of blue/white harsh office like lighting have scared many away for CF when in fact CF haven’t been like that for some time.
3. Habit – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Incandescents work and that alone is reason for many not to change.
I can’t comment on what bulbs Eid uses; but, our friendly neighborhood whiners – who find recycling too complicated – probably haven’t stopped using the batteries they complain about, either.
I also can’t know which of the neocon radiomouths y’all rely on for info – but if you figure out how to use “the Google” – you’ll learn the house brand cfl’s that Walmart sells are, at most, $7.58 for a 4-pack.
For the benefit of the arithmetically-challenged – like Hmeyers – that’s less than $1.90 apiece.
#7, Hmeyers, CFL’s cost between $1 for an 11 watt to $4 for a 27 watt bulb unless you only shop in rip-off stores. They cycle at 60hz like regular bulbs and the newer bulbs don’t flicker at all. Your arguments were valid only on the first compact CFL’s to get to market. I have 46 of them in my house.
#6 – Hmeyers,
These $7 lightbulbs provide poor and flickering lighting and to break even on them takes several years.
I have all of the bulbs in my home replaced. None flicker even the slightest bit. The color of the lighting is far superior. I bought them in the color temperature 4100K. No more dingy yellow incandescents and halogens for me. I feel like we completely remodeled the apartment!! I love the lighting they provide.
“Yup. Real leadership.”
Now the president has to be in charge of light bulbs! WTF
Personally I do not like these bulbs because they do not kill small flying insects.
I have had some CFLs in service in my house for more than fifteen years. I adopted a few of these early on, because the bulbs that they replaced were hard to access. Granted, they don’t get used frequently, but still, it has saved me from dragging out the ladder to change them. For about the past seven years, every light that is not connected to a dimmer, is a CFL. They don’t blow out! There are different color ratings, (ie: cool white, daylight) for these bulbs, so if things seem too yellow or blue, change to the other type. Once I changed the bulbs, way back when, I did notice a big drop in my electric bills. Yes I was aware of the minuscule amount of mercury that was in these fluorescents, as well as each and every fluorescent bulb made, but I weighed it out between the savings to the landfill with lightbulbs, and the savings to me in energy, not to mention, the savings to the environment. The CFLs have borne out to be the winner, but that was years ago.
Now I am toying with the idea of LED bulbs. They use about one fifth the power of CFLs, and last longer (not that this is an issue). I just have to do some more math, and wait for the price to come down just a little more, before I replace the perfectly good CFLs in the house with LED bulbs. Maybe I’ll just install LED bulbs as the CFLs burn out.
Automobiles will not gain a market. They pollute the air and have oil, anti-freeze and freon that needs to be disposed of properly. There is no future for the automobile. It is a false hope.
CFs are only temporary anyway. I am sure some other lighting technology will replace CFs. Of course, people will state the new technology harms the environment and has no hope for success.
Most of my lights are CFs. The barely slow start up time is considerably less than it takes to boot up a computer. Most of the time, I do not notice it.
As for the mercury, why not try to get the community recycling program to collect the bulbs. My community recycling program collects newspapers, glass bottles and aluminum cans. This also goes for batteries.
When my CFL’s break or burn out I recycle the mercury (and save money too) by filling any tooth cavities in my children.
The headline could also read, “15 years after Clinton takes office, EPA promotes energy saving lightbulbs.”
I buy my CFL’s from Menards. Cheaper than Walfart.
Just think, saving $600 million with energy-saving bulbs will provide the military with enough money to fuel 100 more tanks in the Iraq war.
I’ve phased out the old bulbs for CFLs where I live.
In my room I have ‘daylight’ CFLs in the back of the room and normal CFLs in the front and it can really screw with your perception of time. It feels like daylight is spilling in through the back windows. It can be a bit jarring when you learn that it is after midnight when you thought you were seeing daylight out of the corner of your eye.
I don’t know that I’ve noticed the electricity savings, but then again, I haven’t been paying attention.
Re #19 The headline could also read, “15 years after Clinton takes office, EPA promotes energy saving lightbulbs.”
Q: How many presidents of the USA does it take to change a light bulb?
According to a local home energy auditor from Xcel energy, the cheap CFLs tend to burn out in 2-3 years, negating the cost savings.
In the future, when buying house or moving into a new apartment, make sure to pay extra to have the place tox screened for mercury. You don’t know if the previous occupants broke a bunch of CFLs in there an didn’t clean the mess properly. I would also be worried about staying in a hotel where the rooms have CFLs in the lamps – doesn’t sound safe to me.
I see all kinds of opportunities for lawsuits. I wish I could think of some way I could get rich off one without first getting poisoned.
#4 – This issue is not power consumption – it’s power production. As Scotty would say: “We need more power!”
Each State can choose to implement their own policy and inform their citizens as many have. The Federal government is always going to move slower because it is a behemoth. Learn to stop depending on the Federal government to be at the forefront of anything. That the Federal government is slow to pick this stuff up should not surprise anyone.
Regarding building codes, I disagree. The ADA alone put our building codes higher than just about everyone in the world and in NorCal and SoCal the building codes rival that of the tax code in length. Most places I have been (Europe, Asia and other parts of the US), I’m amazed at how little is required with respect to building quality since they do not have to deal with earthquakes.
A: 2
One to hold the bulb, and one to screw America.
( If you have a better answer, post it.)
#24, now you are being ridiculous. How many light bulbs have you ever broken in a hotel room? The only bulbs I ever broke were unprotected by a cover. Are you staying in hotel/motels where the bulbs are bare? 🙂
‘Real leadership’ As Greg Easterbrook has pointed out, the Bush EPA has shown plenty of leadership on the environment, including new diesel emissions regulations for off-road vehicles and lower pollution at oil refineries. No matter how much environmental activists like to play the scare card, the fact is that the air has been getting cleaner for decades.
I’m a chief engineer for a hotel. CF’s cost me more, but from a maintenance point of view, not having to inconvience a guest with a broken light bulb (which happened alot when you multiply the number of rooms and incandescent fixtures therin), it’s worth the extra money. Just buy the right color temp and wattage for the application and recycle them. We have yet to receive a complaint about the lighting and we’ve been fully flourescent for a year.
#24 – iGW,
Misanthropic Scotty says we can get a lot more power by conserving that which we already produce.
>>the Bush EPA has shown plenty of leadership on the
>>environment
Haw haw haw! If Dumbya showed “leadership” in anything (other than helping President Cheney profit mightily from the war in Iraq).
Do you suppose it was just a coincidence that Christine Todd Whitman (a Dumbya appointee) quite the EPA after they tried to strong-arm her into giving it up on pollution control?
Leadership? It’s enough to make you puke.
One rarely mentioned issue that should be added to #9 post: CFL’s were intentionally made “off size”. Maybe not a problem for some but out of 24 light fixtures in my home ONE and only one can accept CFL of the appropriate wattage rating. All others can’t fit the glass cover over the CFL due to the difference in physical size. Replacement lamps are close to 100$ per unit for the similar products even if I do the work of replacement myself… Cost of switching for me would be in the 2000$ range. Even if these would save 50Wh per each bulb and cost be the same as the old bulbs, I can estimate at least 12 yrs. for energy savings to pay off for such investment.
Why haven’t they engineered them to the same physical size limits? It could have been done (and still can).