illegal to buy light bulbs...

[Dunkopf]

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Yes you're probably right. However I'm glad they are doing it regardless. Somebody has to stop the madness. Like the Prez said and was made a lot of fun of about it. Just making sure your tires are inflated could save like 2% of the oil we use. I don't know the figures and I don't feel like researching it, but I bet that if everyone used CFL's it would save a substantial amount of electricity. If people won't do it on their own then the nanny has to make the rules. I bet that those complaining won't be too happy when rolling brown outs and limits on how much electricity you can buy because there isn't enough fuel to create electricity start happening. Then everyone will blame the Fed for not having done something to prevent it.

One of these days our resources will be gone. We don't have an infinite supply of fossil fuels and Congress doesn't have the will to do what needs to be done.It's a serious problem.

I don't think they should make it illegal to purchase the bulbs and I have a feeling that is not part of the law. I'm sure they are just phasing out production of the bulbs. Like a lot of issues the claims are exaggerated.

JMO

 

[bragabit]

Can someone help me understand this. When I buy the swirly bulbs they cost A LOT more but they only last about 1/4 the amount of time as a 40w bulb. How come they don't last as long? I've tried them in all sorts of fixtures only to have them burn out in 6 months

 

[CANDLE98]

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i am with you on that! i don't think they last very long either!

 

[Dunkopf]

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i am with you on that! i don't think they last very long either!

CFL's are only supposed to be used in applications where they will be on for at least 10 minutes. If they are used in places where you just turn the light on for a couple minutes then turn it off again they won't last as long. I bought some about 3 years ago and replaced them in about 12 locations. No burn outs yet. The regular bulbs were good for about 9 months. Did you buy yours at Wally World? Most of their stuff is designed to last about 6 months.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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Nothing needs to be done by the Congress. It will take care of itself. When coal and oil are in short supply, the prices will go up making alternative sources of energy more attractive. Entrepreneurs will fill the gap without mandates from congress that things need to be done right now.

 

[Skittlez]

I switched to the new bulbs and they don't save me any money. My electric bill for August was $144. I run no air, my electric fence is only on from December to April. My bill last year August was $35 and I ran the air for 2 weeks, plus fan, plus my fence was on more. Go figure. Government feeds big business, they don't care about us little people.

The smart car is a joke. Only 40 mpg. My sisters VW TDI gets 60mpg and is a real car. Ford wants to make a similar car, but only offers it in England. Why not here? They say there is no demand for it. There must be, there is a 1 year wating list for the TDI.

To make light bulbs illegal is starting to go too far. Just like all media must be high def. I can't even buy a vcr for the kids any more. I am not replacing their movies just because of the new law.

The government is supposed to be "We the people". Where did that concept go? The government created the mess of people being careless and greedy, what are they doing to fix it? Make more stupid inefficient laws?

My neighbor was arrested 7 years ago for tax evasion and fraud- He was guilty of having a home with no Com Ed (he had solar) no Nicor gas (water heat and pellet stove) no city water (well) and he bartered and traded services. Like I fix your car, you fix my roof. The government said he was stealing from them because he only paid taxes on the money he earned from his job, and not the bartering services. And the city condemmed his house for having no utility accounts. Now that is going too far! When will it end. And the word mandatory should not exist with a democratic government.

I have since switched back to regular bulbs and will continue to use them. I guess I am going shopping too.

 

[Dunkopf]

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Nothing needs to be done by the Congress. It will take care of itself. When coal and oil are in short supply, the prices will go up making alternative sources of energy more attractive. Entrepreneurs will fill the gap without mandates from congress that things need to be done right now.

That's a good theory anyway. Hopefully you're right. It's a crying shame that it requires serious price increases before anybody is willing to do anything about it.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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It's basic economics, supply and demand. When the basic materials get too expensive, you find alternate materials or processes. Hopefully it will happen gradually. It's the sharp spikes in energy prices that cause problems with the economy. The experts will tell you that this recession was caused by sub-prime mortgages and poor lending practices. But why were people defaulting on loans that they could previously pay? Because there was a sharp spike in gasoline prices and subsequently food prices went. People were pouring more money into their gas tank. Food prices shot up because because the cost of transportation went up. Corn prices went through the roof as corn was being diverted to ethanol production.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

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Nothing needs to be done by the Congress. It will take care of itself. When coal and oil are in short supply, the prices will go up making alternative sources of energy more attractive. Entrepreneurs will fill the gap without mandates from congress that things need to be done right now.

That's a good theory anyway. Hopefully you're right. It's a crying shame that it requires serious price increases before anybody is willing to do anything about it.

Theory? Its a fact. That's how lamp oil, propane, diesel, kerosene, an the light bulb we have now came about. As prices go up the marked opens up for alternatives an people step in to fill that void. If the government would stay out of the way we would have been off of fossil fuels years ago. My have been heavily on "wood gas" or the water fuel cell by now.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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The new bulbs will save you money as they use a quarter of the power of an incandescent lamp to produce the same amount of light. You shouldn't expect to see a large difference in your power bill though, as lighting is typically only a small portion of a household power bill. The largest draws are going be home heating and air conditioning and electric water heaters. The draw from an electric fence is almost negligible. It may cost you a couple of dollars a month, if that.

Were you using more air conditioning or hot water? Any new appliances? Running an extra refrigerator or freezer this year? Did you have guests that used more hot water? Do you have a hot water leak? Something is going on on if you are seeing much higher than normal bills.