US To Extinguish (Most) Incandescent Bulb Sales By 2012

Engadget has noted a report in the New York Times that that the US has "passed a law barring stores from selling incandescent light bulbs after 2012. 'Course, the EU and Australia have already decided to ditch the inefficient devices in the not-too-distant future, but a new energy bill signed into law this week throws the US into the aforementioned group. Better grab a pack of the current bulbs while you still can — soon you'll be holding a sliver of history."

Re:What?

[phozz bare]

That's fine, we'll just wait for your hands to melt.

Well crap

[Jupiter Jones]

Guess I'll have to finally upgrade my EZ-Bake oven.

Re:CF save energy, but lack functionality...

[pacc]

Specifically, I'm talking about lights that dim... CF bulbs do not dim.
Wrong, they do dim. After a few months they don't give that much light any more but
the dimming is so slow so you don't notice (until you bump into walls).

Re:wow

[Professor_UNIX]

There's more important things here than money.

Not in a capitalist society. See, capitalism really is the best system since supply and demand rules. We'll use a lot less gasoline when it costs $25/gallon because we simply won't be able to afford it anymore so we'll have to find alternatives or use public transit.

Re:If you use the rigth bulb, they're not bad...

[Waffle Iron]

Using the same principal, I light my kitchen with only the dull red glow of the electric range elements. It's kind of hard to see and I'm sucking down 10 kilowatts, but they sure do last a long time.

Re:Compact fluorescent bulbs contain Mercury

[aurispector]

Hooray! Someone used common sense!

I've been using CF's for a while and am not convinced they even make a dent in energy usage - most goes to heating, cooling, cooking and cleaning. My gut feeling is that they take more energy to produce and I've had a few blow out on me even though they advertise a much longer lifespan. Then there is the mercury. And occasionally a low, annoying 60hz hum.

It looks like we have to wait for LED tech to mature a bit, but the quality of the light itself from CFs and LEDs leaves something to be desired. Incandescents have a nice, warm orangey glow. The cold blue from the newer bulbs is just terrible.

Re:the poor reptiles

[djmurdoch]

Just use 6 times as many CFLs, and put sunglasses on your dragon.

goodbye lava lite

[at10u8]

I suppose I'll have to make do with Jamie Zawinski's version [jwz.org] as I retire the real ones.

Re:mod parent up.

[Professor_UNIX]

Bear in mind that (despite all of its evils) Wal-Mart had a sizable role in pushing the CFLs out to a large chunk of the populace.

Wal-Mart is for cheap hillbillies. Cool people shop at Target.

We'll be getting our bulbs over the border

[Pontiac]

Just add one more thing to the list of stuff people smuggle back from Canada or Mexico

Alcohol, Check
Prescription Drugs, Check
Other Drugs, Check
Light Bulbs, Check

Re:wow

[Anonymous Coward]

People need to be protected from their own stupidity sometimes.

And the clever US government is the one to show them the way!

Especially with their excellent record on conservation.

Re:wow

[mjpaci]

Gmack:

You're on Slashdot. Capitalism and Microsoft are evil; Apple can do no wrong; you should throw out your TV; and George Bush is the root of all evil. Stop trying to make sense here.

(Thanks for making sense here.)

--Mike

Re:wow

[galego]

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

You mean ... like congress?

Re:mod parent up.

[raju1kabir]

I think I'm missing something. Why would it be better for someone to buy the $3.50 pickles instead? That sounds like a reasonable decision to me.

Not all of the costs of pickle production are built into the $3 jar's supermarket scanner price. There may be human costs (slavery-like conditions in the pickle packer plant), environmental costs (putrid pickle powder pouring into a river), or political ones (the 2008 Peking Pickle Protocol granted low tariffs in exchange for the Chinese ambassador gaining veto rights in US Congress).

This is ever the problem with religious capitalists; like the religious fundamentalists who wave away any physical evidence about the universe that isn't covered in the Bible, religious capitalists wave away any factors that aren't captured in the price tag.

Re:Compact fluorescent bulbs contain Mercury

[Just Some Guy]

Dude, you need to get out more! :) .o.

You think I got this UID climbing mountains?

Re:wow

[TooMuchToDo]

So THAT's what a conversational bitchsmack looks like. Well played.