New standards for lighting in the US.
 

Energy Savers: New Lighting Standards Begin in 2012

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_hom.../mytopic=11975

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_hom.../mytopic=11976

Thank you for en"lightening" me on that subject.

Good one. You are welcome.

So now we have to buy bulbs by Lumen value

From the attachments furnished by Tal:

"The brightness, or lumen levels, of the lights in your home may vary widely, so here's a rule of thumb:

To replace a 100-watt incandescent bulb, look for a bulb that gives you about 1600 lumens. If you want something dimmer, go for less lumens; if you prefer brighter light, look for more lumens.
Replace a 75W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 1100 lumens
Replace a 60W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 800 lumens
Replace a 40W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 450 lumens."


.

This reminds me to build up my already large supply of good old reliable incandescents.

Thanks for the reminder.

You are welcome.

This is because of a bi-partisan law signed by President Bush back in December 2007. Summary of Energy Independence and Security Act | Laws and Regulations | US EPA

It's my opinion that this is another area where government is intruding in areas they ought to stay out of,....as Shrek would say, "What a crock of ****!" :sad:

I started doing just that about a year ago... I refuse to buy the new bulbs. I hope this all goes the way of the metric system that was planned for us in the 70's,,, this is all just BS. I have a garage full of the old reliables... LOL..

From what I understand, the new bulbs have lead in them and cannot just be put into our normal trash pick up. Does anyone have any information on this. I have also found that they do not give out as much brightness as our current bulbs and I don't know about you, but as I get older, I need more brightness.

It looks like the new bulbs have mercury in them which is quite toxic. http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

I found this about recycling some of these new light bulbs. http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partner...et_Mercury.pdf

Also this-- http://epa.gov/cfl/cflrecycling.html

Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban
 

I thought we had a reprieve.

This is from the 12/16/2011 Washingtons Times:

Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban - Washington Times

Could be. The Wikipedia articles on US lighting policy are not too current. U.S. Lighting Energy Policy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-o...nt_light_bulbs

What's at the local Ace Hardware would be the real test for the Villages people.

Another approach.... As the old bulbs burned out, I've gone ahead and changed to compact fluorescent bulbs in places where we leave the bulbs on a lot. In some cases I've stepped up in the light level by using a slightly higher wattage than suggested. For example, I use 26 watt fluorescent bulbs for lamps where I previously used a 75 watt bulb. This gives plenty of light and saves about $5 per year per bulb, assuming it's on about 3 hours per day. Do the math. The bulbs will last about 6 or 7 years. For places where the bulbs are not used as much, like in a closet or bathroom, the savings don't amount to much.

Another place where I have replaced the old incandescents is in some ceiling fixtures where replacing bulbs is a pain. The fluorescents last about 5 times as long as the incandescents and are worth it for the reduced trouble in changing bulbs.