BULBRITE President, Cathy Choi featured in article, 'Watts Up?'. As seen in The Macomb Daily and The Daily Tribune.
News / In the News / BULBRITE President, Cathy Choi featured in article, 'Watts Up?'. As seen in The Macomb Daily and The Daily Tribune.
The new law phasing out standard 100-watt incandescent bulbs, on hold until October, has left many people in the dark. And they are wondering: Will I be forced to buy a fluorescent light bulb, at $20 a pop? Is it true incandescent bulbs will no longer be available? Are the light bulb police going to be knocking on my door if I continue to use 100-watt bulbs?
"There's not going to be any light bulb police going around," said Cathy Choi, understanding that along with wild conjectures are serious questions that need to be answered.
"This law has caused a lot of confusion," said the president of Bulbrite, officer of the American Lighting Association Education Foundation Board and Member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. The 100-watt bulb has been in existence for a very long time." When computers and cell phones were introduced to the public there was plenty of information and people knew what was going on, whereas with this, very little light has been shed.
Choi said what people need to know is that the law requires manufacturers to stop production of the 100-watt bulb. Retailers still will be allowed to sell what they have in stock. When they're gone, Choi said, consumers will have several other options.
"It's an exciting new year," said Choi, referring to the lighting industry and adding that the law is a step in the right direction. "If we can provide products that help consumers save energy and save money, it's a win-win."
What the industry has known all along, and what consumers are just finding out, is that the changes actually began in 2007, when the Energy Independence and Security Act became law.
As a green effort, the law was all-encompassing, covering everything from vehicle fuel economy and alternative automobile technologies to industrial energy efficiency, solar power and more. There's a section that addresses the need to set new efficiency standards for appliances — including furnaces, air conditioners, battery chargers, clothes washers, dishwashers and refrigerators — and another targeting energy-efficiency standards for "general service incandescent lamps."
These are, as most of us know them, the everyday common household light bulbs.
Don't worry about that light in the Easy-Bake Oven. Specialty bulbs such as black lights or those bulbs 40-watt-or-less are not covered under the law. General service incandescent bulbs — including 100-watt, 75-watt, 60-watt and non-specialty 40-watt bulbs — draw a great deal of power and much of that is released as heat, not light.
Phase I calls for a bulb that puts out the same amount of light as a 100-watt bulb but only draws 72 watts of power. Next year, and the year after that, the same expectations will be required for the other light bulbs.
What are the alternatives? Choi said there are three viable options for consumers now and likely to be even more as the technology advances: 72-watt halogen incandescent, 23/26-watt compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), Light-emitting diodes or LEDs.
The 72-watt halogen looks just like the old familiar 100-watt bulb and gives off the same amount of light. Some people say they like the color that the 100-watt bulb gives off, but the new 72-watt halogen produces the same color, Choi said.
What's different about the two is the halogen uses 28 percent less energy and it has a filament capsule, which is simply the technology that makes it more energy efficient. It also is about $1 more than the 100-watt bulb. Another choice for consumers are the compact fluorescent lamps that are 75 percent more efficient, last 10 times longer and, while $4 more than a 100-watt bulb, can pay for themselves in nine months. "It has trace amounts of mercury," explained Choi. "The reality is the amount is less than the thermometer my mom used to stick in my mouth."
And who knows? Technology in the industry is advancing rapidly. When CFLs first came out, it took them forever to reach full brightness after you turned them on. Now there are some on the market that light up instantly and have the option of being dimmed, according to a report by the Associated Press.
LEDs are the most efficient bulb of all. In fact, they are about 75 to 80 percent more efficient and designed to last 25 times longer than a regular incandescent light bulb. However, at $25 for a single 60-watt-equivalent bulb — and we are talking one bulb — LEDs seem as ludicrous as the light bulb police. Still, as many homeowners have learned by investing in good insulation and energy-efficient appliances up front, the money saved in the end is worth it.
Then there's the benefit to Earth, with regard to our consumption of energy.
"Not everyone can buy an electric or hybrid car, but every homeowner can unscrew a light bulb," Choi said. "It's a really easy thing for homeowners to do."
To find out more about the law and light bulb choices, visit www.lightopedia.com. The Department of Energy has a useful chart online that can help you determine if the bulb you really like is warm or cool: www.energysavers.gov.
"There's not going to be any light bulb police going around," said Cathy Choi, understanding that along with wild conjectures are serious questions that need to be answered.
"This law has caused a lot of confusion," said the president of Bulbrite, officer of the American Lighting Association Education Foundation Board and Member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. The 100-watt bulb has been in existence for a very long time." When computers and cell phones were introduced to the public there was plenty of information and people knew what was going on, whereas with this, very little light has been shed.
Choi said what people need to know is that the law requires manufacturers to stop production of the 100-watt bulb. Retailers still will be allowed to sell what they have in stock. When they're gone, Choi said, consumers will have several other options.
"It's an exciting new year," said Choi, referring to the lighting industry and adding that the law is a step in the right direction. "If we can provide products that help consumers save energy and save money, it's a win-win."
What the industry has known all along, and what consumers are just finding out, is that the changes actually began in 2007, when the Energy Independence and Security Act became law.
As a green effort, the law was all-encompassing, covering everything from vehicle fuel economy and alternative automobile technologies to industrial energy efficiency, solar power and more. There's a section that addresses the need to set new efficiency standards for appliances — including furnaces, air conditioners, battery chargers, clothes washers, dishwashers and refrigerators — and another targeting energy-efficiency standards for "general service incandescent lamps."
These are, as most of us know them, the everyday common household light bulbs.
Don't worry about that light in the Easy-Bake Oven. Specialty bulbs such as black lights or those bulbs 40-watt-or-less are not covered under the law. General service incandescent bulbs — including 100-watt, 75-watt, 60-watt and non-specialty 40-watt bulbs — draw a great deal of power and much of that is released as heat, not light.
Phase I calls for a bulb that puts out the same amount of light as a 100-watt bulb but only draws 72 watts of power. Next year, and the year after that, the same expectations will be required for the other light bulbs.
What are the alternatives? Choi said there are three viable options for consumers now and likely to be even more as the technology advances: 72-watt halogen incandescent, 23/26-watt compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), Light-emitting diodes or LEDs.
The 72-watt halogen looks just like the old familiar 100-watt bulb and gives off the same amount of light. Some people say they like the color that the 100-watt bulb gives off, but the new 72-watt halogen produces the same color, Choi said.
What's different about the two is the halogen uses 28 percent less energy and it has a filament capsule, which is simply the technology that makes it more energy efficient. It also is about $1 more than the 100-watt bulb. Another choice for consumers are the compact fluorescent lamps that are 75 percent more efficient, last 10 times longer and, while $4 more than a 100-watt bulb, can pay for themselves in nine months. "It has trace amounts of mercury," explained Choi. "The reality is the amount is less than the thermometer my mom used to stick in my mouth."
And who knows? Technology in the industry is advancing rapidly. When CFLs first came out, it took them forever to reach full brightness after you turned them on. Now there are some on the market that light up instantly and have the option of being dimmed, according to a report by the Associated Press.
LEDs are the most efficient bulb of all. In fact, they are about 75 to 80 percent more efficient and designed to last 25 times longer than a regular incandescent light bulb. However, at $25 for a single 60-watt-equivalent bulb — and we are talking one bulb — LEDs seem as ludicrous as the light bulb police. Still, as many homeowners have learned by investing in good insulation and energy-efficient appliances up front, the money saved in the end is worth it.
Then there's the benefit to Earth, with regard to our consumption of energy.
"Not everyone can buy an electric or hybrid car, but every homeowner can unscrew a light bulb," Choi said. "It's a really easy thing for homeowners to do."
To find out more about the law and light bulb choices, visit www.lightopedia.com. The Department of Energy has a useful chart online that can help you determine if the bulb you really like is warm or cool: www.energysavers.gov.
Back to In the News
