I actually use CFL’s almost everywhere in my house, but need the heat generated by a normal bulb for my turtle. Also, here is an interesting fact, part of the law that banned the normal light bulb also mandated that ceiling fan light kits come with a regulator to prevent a total wattage above some threshold from working (maybe to stop fires, who knows), but the funny thing is that this regulator interferes with CFL’s, causing them to flicker like a strobe light and thus you have to use the less energy efficient normal bulbs even if you didn’t want to (or at least one of them to stop the circuit). This is all probably moot anyways, as once LED’s get down in price no one is going to want anything else (except turtle owners like me).

My wife and I have been stockpiling bulbs in the basement after having bad experiences with CFLs. This needs to happen.

I, too, bought several cases of various wattage incandescent bulbs and have enough to last until 2050 or so.

We initially jumped on the CFL bandwagon, but logic circuits kicked in. How long will it be before we hear about mercury contamination in landfills & the need for the “government to do something”. We too, have been stockpiling light bulbs. At about a quarter each, it’s a good deal.

You mean this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DJEDdvujF8

Sorry…I love the tune.

We have CFL’s almost everywhere. As the incandescents die, I replace them with CFL bulbs. The most annoying thing about them, other than their toxicity, is how they start of so dim when I turn them on, and they take a minute or two getting to full throttle. On the other hand, they’re a good way to ease into the light at 5:00AM.

For those interested though, there is ONE American manufacturer of those mercury twirls.

I’d be surprised if no one was able to put out an alternative to the ugly poisonous twirls that meets Jane Harman’s criteria. I expect to see more than one variety when I look on the store shelves, but I guess that’s not the case in Communist regimes. Anyway, I have recently seen reduced-wattage versions of regular bulbs on store shelves.

Of course it’s always possible they won’t. In that case, I’ll be using candles for ALL of my lighting. And I do mean that quite seriously. I don’t buy ANYTHING made in China (and often buy used or do without a lot), and I would not buy one of those twirls to save my life no matter where it was made.

NOT because I’m green, but b/c I’m cheap. I figured they cost more initially but they last so much longer than the old bulbs… except that they DON’T!! Maybe I got a bum batch of CFL bulbs, but they don’t seem to last a day longer than the old faithful incandescent bulb. And they give me a headache – thousands of tiny “flickers” a second – it bothers some people, and I am one. So I’m back to stockpiling the incandescent bulbs. Plus you don’t have to don CERCLA superfund gear if you accidentally drop and break one.

When it’s time to dispose of your CFL’s just send them to your congressman instead of following the 87 step disposal plan. When he/she complains that you have sent them a hazardous material in the mail, ask them why they are requiring you to have it in your home.

There are but a handful of perfect examples of the Federal government over-reaching its Constitutional limits, and this is certainly one.

I am fine with adopting new technologies where they make sense for application and budget – at my discretion.

Frankly, it should never be the business of any government what light bulb I purchase to use on my property.

Please keep up your work to serve us and protect our liberty!

Previous diary mentioned that some teachers no longer use them because the flickering causes learning disabilities (Autism?) They also exacerbate migraine headaches and will be miserable for those of us who love to read for hours.

It is unconsicionable that the government control us like this! Thank you for doing this and please don’t give up!

because it is cheaper, or are there significant regulations by the EPA, maybe because of the mercury content, that are also prohibitive? I for one, cannot stand the CFL. They do not last long (perhaps because of the on/off nature of a residence), and the light they put out is far inferior.

and the first one I took out of the package broke into pieces in my hand as I attempted to screw it into a recessed light fixture. I threw it in the regular trash, completely unaware that it contained mercury.

The second bul, which gave off a greenish, sickly light, burned out in 3 days.

The other two are still in the package. I’ll send them to Ed Begley, I guess. I don’t want these things in my house.

I’m gathering a closet full of incandescent bulbs. The CFL’s are useful in some situations, but when direct light is needed for actually seeing something, like my reading lamp, they’re not happening. Why don’t we just learn to turn lights off when they are not in use?

Please also see this report by the CBC about the effects on health of these bulbs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3YrEMlmE9E

There is a potential FIRE danger when a CFL is installed in the lighting circuit with a DIMMER control. Almost all dimmers are for incandescent bulbs ONLY! This ban is another case on progressives thinking they know better and want to control everyone else!

Got one and like someone else stated, it flickers when the fan is on. Hate them and who the hell bans light bulbs and for what reason? Think about it. I never minded buying the old bulbs and they make the light better. If a Republicans had wanted it, the papers would of been full of MERCURY CONTAMINATION TOUTED BY REPUBLICANS.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

that CFL’s have an integral ballast that loses its efficiency as the temperature decreases? When the temperature drops toward freezing, CFL’s begin to dim, and if the temperature drops below about 25F, they stop producing light entirely. Here in the Hoosier State, where nighttime temperatures average well below freezing for the three winter months, CFL’s make zero sense for outdoor applications. Without incandescents, what are we supposed to do? Did the geniuses in D. C. stop to consider this problem?

I just bought a bathroom exhaust fan that had GU-24 bayonet-type pin connections for the two 13-watt pig-tail bulbs required. This feature was a stealth item and it was only after I destroyed the packaging did I realize the trap that had been laid for me.

As time passes, the new replacement for the time tested and universally used Edison-base socketed bulb will permeate the market until it will be necessary to buy replacement fixtures to overcome the lack of Edison-based bulbs.

Stock up if you can my friends, I am, but the govt plan will eventually neuter our end run through stockpiling the incandescents. Just as refrigerant charge points on air conditioning equipment was changed to a weird configuration, God’s own standard for electric light bulbs is being monkeyed with and will eventually thwart the efforts of even the most industrious among us.

One more step toward the nanny state. The west must conform to this silly crap while the third world uses western-banned refrigerant to degrease parts and makes children’s toys out of asbestos.

whatever—I want a CHOICE! Hands off my bulbs! I have stockpiled icandescent because i detest the anemic lighting of CFL and I detest being prodded to buy what the govt wants. Whatever the govt tells me to do i want to do the opposite. They are too bossy and I bet a lot of those senators and congressmen use regular lights at home. BTW I worked in health and safety and you do NOT want mercury spilling around on the floors. Very bad.

that you do NOT put a CFL in a stairway ENCLOSED light fixture!

Thankfully there was no fire, but the entire fixture burned/melted/stunk up the house – you can be assured there is a normal light bulb in place now.

I admit it…I failed to read the directions that said no enclosed fixtures, but what about all the manufacturers of enclosed fixtures once there are only CFL bulbs available? Are they already working on new designs? I did put a low-wattage CFL in the enclosed shower light and so far, because it on for such short periods of time, it’s done okay.

There is NO reason why we should all be subjected to the whims of the idiotGore!

Thanks, Congressman Barton…I wish you SUCCESS in your attempt to remove the government from our light bulb choices!!!!!

Let’s see now…what kind of car to drive, what kind of food to eat or drink, whether or not one can choose to smoke, removing parental rights to inform their own children about sexuality, where to bank, where to get a loan for college, RESPONSIBLE Americans watching their hard-earned tax dollars go to bailout those IRRESPONSIBLE homeowners who failed to consider whether they could afford to be a homeowner or not, coming soon will be the government advising us whether we can go to a doctor or not…the list goes on and on and on and on…America, the land of the once free – REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!!!!

Let’s look at this mercury non-issue logically. Fluorescent tubes have been around for decades and also contain minute amounts of mercury. Where was the hew (or is it hue?) and cry all those years? Why does CFL mercury “require” these ridiculous cleanup processes while broken fluorescent tubes do not (or have they been ignored all these years)?

Someone once said, “Since trifles make the sum of human things, and half our misery from our foibles springs”.We should all understand the trivial, yet extreme lengths, democrats will go to achieve their liberal agenda. They seek to control every aspect of American life, from the mundane to the excessive .

bulbs… but, the girlfirend is “concerned” about the “state of the environment” so, we have them damned CFL’s all over the house. They flicker, put out lame light, don’t last very long, and are pretty fragile. They are not dimmer friendly, and they don’t last anywhere near as long as regular bulbs. However, in the one lamp I use for reading, I have a 100W incandescent in there. Makes reading easier.

On the one hand,
the ideology that reflects a belief in regulations and subsidy schemes,
not just in relation to consumer products,
but also more widely in regulating and subsidizing the supply and use of energy,
that add upfront costs for questionable savings down the line,
and limit the freedom of businesses and consumers to do what they want.
If this ideology seems attractive, then taxation is better on every
count along the energy usage chain.
Applied to products, the comparatively easier and more adaptable
taxation on cheap products
that in turn can cover subsidy costs in equilibrating markets of for
example light bulbs, while retaining choice.

On the other hand,
the ideology of market based competition to deliver desired products
and services,
pushing profit-seeking businesses to do market research of what people
want, including energy saving products,
keeping down their cost, creating real jobs sustained by market demand,
while at the same time promoting the efficient use of energy
throughout the energy usage chain, from generation to distribution to
consumption,
and keeping freedom of choice for businesses and consumers.

Why all energy efficiency regulations are wrong,
and how they affect buildings, cars, washing machines etc,
with a focus on light bulbs
http://ceolas.net
.