Light is dimming on familiar friend: incandescent light bulbs

Posted: Jan. 17, 2012

For about 120 years the light bulb has remained essentially the same: filaments inside a glass bulb generating light.

That design outlasted other inventions of its time, like the phonograph that evolved into the CD player, or bulky phones that now can be carried in a shirt pocket. But technology, along with a big push by the federal government, has led to the phasing out of the incandescent bulb.

In 2007 Congress enacted and President George W. Bush signed a law that restricts the import and manufacture of incandescent light bulbs. Beginning this year the law targets the 100-watt bulb, next year the 75-watt bulb and in 2014 the 60- and 40-watt bulbs. Last month Congress included a rider in a spending bill preventing the federal government from enforcing the new rules, but many major retailers have said they will comply with the law even though there are no penalties for importing or purchasing the bulbs.

The change, though, has not created a rush to horde the 100-watt bulbs, according to a random survey of area stores. That is because other alternative products have been on the market for years now, and there has been a gradual consumer switch over to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), halogen light bulbs and light-emitting diode lights (LED).

According to the Department of Energy's website, the three most common energy-efficient lighting types are energy-saving incandescent, CFLs and LEDs.

"You can find these in most hardware and home improvement stores, and they are all more energy-efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs," according to the DOE.

Energy-saving, or halogen, incandescents have a capsule inside that holds gas around a filament to increase bulb efficiency. This type of incandescent bulb is about 25 percent more efficient and can last up to three times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. They are available in a range of shapes and colors, and can be used with dimmers, according to the DOE.

CFLs are simply curly versions of the long tube fluorescent lights that many homeowners might already have in their garage or basement.

"Because they use less electricity than traditional incandescents, typical CFLs can pay for themselves in less than nine months, and then start saving you money each month," according to the DOE. "An Energy-Star-qualified CFL uses about one-fourth the energy and lasts 10 times longer than a comparable incandescent bulb that puts out the same amount of light," the agency states.

Fluorescent bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, and they should always be recycled at the end of their life span. Many retailers recycle CFLs for free. For more information, go to www.epa.gov/cfl.

The light-emitting diode (LEDs) have about 75 to 80 percent energy savings.

The LED "uses the same technology as the little indicator light on your cellphone, but designed to light your home. It is one of today's most energy-efficient and rapidly developing technologies. Energy-Star-qualified LEDs use only 20 to 25 percent of the energy and last up to 25 times longer than the traditional incandescent bulbs they replace," according to the DOE.

LED bulbs are available in many products, such as replacements for 40W, 60W and 75W traditional incandescents, reflector bulbs often used in recessed fixtures, and small track lights. While LEDs are more-expensive at this stage, they still save money because they last a long time and have very low energy use, according to the DOE. As with other electronics, prices are expected to come down as more products enter the market, said the DOE.

Anthony LeDonne, owner of Ace Hardware in Sussex, said there has been an uptick in the sale of incandescent light bulbs.

"They're selling more than normal, but not crazy," he said. "Some people are buying up the 100 watters. People know there are other bulbs out there. Though they cost a little bit more."

LeDonne said the type selling the most at his store are the new halogen bulbs, which look like the old bulbs. "It's a nice light," he said.

The CFLs, he said, has its detractors. "Some people don't like them; they're slow to come on, they don't like the light it gives off," LeDonne said.

But at Lorleberg's True Value in Oconomowoc, owner Jeff Burchardt said the CFLs are selling the best of the newcomers.

There has not been a run on the old incandescents, though he did have a couple of customers who each bought a case of the bulbs.

"People are accepting the new bulbs," Burchardt said. "It's a better way to go. It's a better mousetrap."

The 13-watt CFL bulb (the equivalent of the 60-watt bulb) is the best seller right now, he said. What people have to look at is in the lumens, or the amount of light output by the bulb, he said. A 60-watt incandescent bulb puts out 750 lumens verses 825 for the 13-watt CFL.

"It has more light," he said.

The lives of the new bulbs are also longer than the old bulbs, he noted. Burchardt pointed out that the 60-watt bulb has a life span of 1,000 hours, and the CFL bulb 8,000 hours.

One of the downsides to the new bulbs is that, pricewise, the CFLs are much more expensive than the incandescents. However, the CFLs use less electricity, making for a savings in energy bills.

Proponents of the phaseout of the old bulbs note that 10 percent of the energy used in an incandescent bulb goes toward creating light, while about 90 percent is emitted as heat, thus the inefficiency of the bulb.

Technology has come around, Burchardt said. While CFLs were slow to come on, there are now instant lights, he said. The light is also a "truer light, like sunshine," he said.

At the Mukwonago Walmart, a store employee said the CFLs are the bestselling bulbs, though a lot of people are buying the incandescent bulbs. The store is still able to order the 100-watt bulbs but he did not know when that supply would run out.

At The Home Depot in Delafield, there has been a run on the 100-watt bulbs.

"The customers are buying them up," said a store employee. The bulbs are still coming into the store, but not like they used to, he said.

The CFLs, he said, are selling the best, with LEDs next in line.

At Menards in Pewaukee, a store employee said that some of the CFLs have a yellow light that "turns some people off."

A lamp that emits a blue-white light is closer to the current incandescent bulb, he said. Menards does offer a recycle box for unbroken CFLs.

The halogen light is brighter, but operates much hotter. The employee said that is fine for winter, but during the summer that additional heat will compete with the air conditioning, he said. Some customers prefer that light over the CFLs, he added.

The LED is a cooler light but is more expensive, he said. With advancements in technology, he believed the price would come down in two or three years.

Currently the curlicue CFLs are the top seller of the new generation of bulb, but customers are stocking up on the old bulbs, he said.