I got to spend some time in Kentucky with my family last week, and my dad and I made our traditional trip to Lowe’s—just to walk around. He once again got me in a little panic about incandescent light bulbs, which are slowly but surely being phased out (in case you haven’t heard). Beginning in January, 100-watt incandescent bulbs will no longer be available. . .
Forcing us to start using the fluorescent bulbs instead. . . . (I know, I know—many of you have been using these for years already but I’m holding out. They’re just not the same.)
My dad, for one, is not a happy camper. If he was a Miss America contestant who had to choose a platform, this would be it. He has literally been stockpiling the “old” light bulbs for the last year.
You can see his dismay when we found a final palette of bulbs and this sign at Lowe’s.
(This is why I love my dad. He willingly poses for these blog pictures.)
So, do you have strong opinions about this? Or, is it just my dad? And, if you want more 100-watt bulbs, you better run to the store now—before he buys them all.
Forget Miss America… your dad should run for President!! He’s got my vote! I am not happy about the light bulb situation either. I better get to Lowe’s quick before your dad crosses the border into Indiana and gets our bulbs, too :)
My hubby feels the same way (so do I really) and has been stocking up for a while. It really is rediculous that they can do that and “force” us to be “green”. I hate the look of fluorescent bulbs-and they don’t work with dimmers!
I prefer the old bulbs and I think I’m going to start stockpiling like your Dad! Don’t the CFL bulbs contain mercury? And on a more shallow note, I don’t like how the CFLs look!
Mary Ellen
The Working Home Keeper
We can not take this either.Is this not a free country. We should be able to choice our own light bulbs.
I also prefer incandescent! Fluorescent bulbs make the lighting in my spaces look so weird. Boo to that!
I agree with your Dad.I was suprised when we went to shop for a new ceiling fan and you can’t buy one with the regular “old school” light bulbs.
Well, I’m running to Lowes before your dad makes his way down to Georgia! And I’m with Carolyn@SweetChaos, if he runs for president, he’s got my vote too! He is so cute in that pic!
A traditional light bulb converts only 10% of the energy it uses into light. The remaining 90% of the energy that light bulb uses is converted into heat- ever touch a light bulb that has been on for a while? That’s a 90% waste of energy- energy from electricity that is generated from the burning of coal and fossil fuels. An incandescent light bulb doesn’t contain mercury, but it has a higher overall mercury footprint for that reason. Coal-fired plants are humans’ No. 1 source of mercury pollution, and incandescent light bulbs make those plants burn more coal than CFLs do. I’m a mom and I don’t think twice about doing something that will make the air safer to breathe for my children. The energy savings is a minor bonus to me. I’m really sad to read your comments. It reminds me of all the arguments smokers used to make.
Hilarious post, but seriously, I hope SOMEONE figures out how to make a better light come out of those CFL bulbs! Now there is where someone can become a billionaire overnight. I get it, but I dread my house looking like the insane light coming out of my neighbors house. At night it looks like the Aliens have landed with the greenish and intensely harsh light streaming out of all their windows. (And I’m NOT exaggerating!) Janell
Emily, skip the CFL’s and go to LED’s. They come in all options! Here is my post http://mycraftyhomelife.blogspot.com/2011/11/energy-savings-tips.html
The light is bright white, and can be dimmed….you will love it!
I’m so with your dad. I mean, why can’t they at least paint those bulbs yellow so they can have a golden glow? In my front room I put the warmest Al Gore lightbulb I could find in one lamp and a regular politically incorrect lightbulb in the identical twin lamp on the other side of the sofa…the Al Gore bulb makes the lamp look like it needs to throw up.
I don’t think people have any idea how much this green weird lighting is going to affect their mood and overall feeling in their homes once all the bulbs are switched out.
Some inventor is about to get rich once they figure out how to make those new bulbs feel warm.
How funny! I love that picture! :) I am also holding out- florescent just isn’t the same. I tried to go green and switch out my bulbs- but then I switched them back! I couldn’t take the “office hallway” glow of the bulbs!
I may have a little stockpile built up, too! I’m holding out on making the switch as long as I can.
I love this post! Great Dad pic. I’m sad about the old light blubs too :( they’re not the same.
I like the original bulbs better too but was always afraid to say so since the newer ones are more energy efficient! It’s the whole ‘political correctness’ thing gone mad I tell ‘ya! Also, pass the word, if one of the new bulbs breaks it is very hazardous to your health! It has mercury in it and the room/area in which it broke should be cleared immediately and then vented. Also, don’t touch broken pieces as they can cause huge open infections! Just a few more reasons for your dad (and the rest of us!) to stockpile!
How cute is he?
I am stocking up too. My biggest complaint is that they don’t last as long as I heard they would. I heard7 yrs but I have changed out about 4 bulbs in the last month or 2 & none had been in use for anywhere near that long! The light they give off is horrific too. I’ll vote for your dad too!
Hysterical! Your Dad is adorable! But I must say I HATE CFLs!!!! I don’t think most people are responsible enough to recycle them properly and I think they are ugly. I vote for LED’s. We switched out Christmas lights to them last year and they were brighter than the old ones but looked great. I hope they keep improving them for everyday use!
-Shelley
Your dad is a sooooo cute. I am pissed (!) about the light bulb situation. I should really start my stockpile ASAP. I’ve heard that if one of the new bulbs break, that mercury (or something else awful) is inside and it’s hazardous. How “green” is that!?
I just bought 2 contractor packs of incandescent bulbs. I do not like the cfl which are slow to light up in an area that is cold(garage/basement), plus they have mercury in them. Have you seen what the government says about cleaning up a broken cfl? http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html
We recently stayed with some friends whose home was filled with those damn corkscrew light bulbs. It was like I was being interrogated at every turn. I almost put my sunglasses on to eat breakfast. Surely thay can improve CFL bulbs.
Emily – glad you mentioned this. I HATE the light put off from the greener light bulbs! It’s SO yellow! I got some ‘natural day light’ bulbs at the store the other day and they are almost BLUE compared to the yellowy-off put from the spirally ones. I LOVE THEM.
Bethany
http://powellbrower.blogspot.com/2011/11/for-sale-large-custom-relaxed-roman.html
Wait – first – you came to Kentucky and didn’t give me a shout?! We could have had coffee or something! ;)
I’m so glad you put this out there. The pic of your dad is great! Apart from the ugly lighting, my main concern is on the lack of education out there regarding disposal of them since they do contain mercury. There is an actual checklist from the EPA concerning what to do if a bulb breaks but I wonder how many people actually know this? Did you know that you shouldn’t vacuum up a broken CFL – or that if one breaks you should leave the room for 15 minutes before cleaning it up? I guess my worry is that we’re being forced to use them because it’s better for the environment but if the “smarter/greener solution” isn’t disposed of properly it could all be for nothing.
I think one of your commenters would hate that my hub has a shirt that says – Coal, Cats, Calipari power Kentucky. ;)
But for the record my hub also forced me to change almost every light in our home to CFL – he went on and on about the money savings.
My dad has been forcing fluorescent light bulbs on us since before it was the cool thing to do, so perhaps I’ve gotten used to them. I have them in all of my bedrooms, bathrooms and our living room (not by choice) and I think they’re getting better because they really don’t feel as harsh as they did when I was little. Still, you’re right, its just not the same. :(
I understand the energy reasoning for the CFL’s, but… the light they give out is just not right. Does anybody else get headaches around them, or is it just me? Plus they really aren’t very attractive and don’t make people look attractive either. I’m in hopes that some changes can be made to them so that green energy, function and design can work together better, then I can put the motrin bottle away ;)
I HATE CFL lightbulbs because they trigger a migraine for me. And classical migraines (aura, sickness and headache) are no fun. I’ll use candlelight before I ever use a CFL lightbulb.
I will say that incandescent bulbs have been phased out of Europe for the past decade.
That is hilarious! I didn’t know that they were going to stop selling them. I just feel like the old ones work better…I think I’ll be stocking up too!
I think people should be able to use whatever type of light bulb they want to use. Working for a utility, I hope people in our territory continue to use incandescent light bulbs. The more power used the bigger my bonus will be. :) I use CFLs and it is definitely an adjustment. I just prefer to give as little money as possible back to to the company I work for.
I am 100% with your dad — I’ve been stockpiling for a while. Unfortunately we don’t have a ton of space, but I do have a little stash. I’m hoping Congress will come to its senses and repeal the legislation, but that’s probably a silly hope….
Ha! I’m right there with your dad! I’ve been stock piling them too. Cannot stand the way fluorescent bulbs look. No, thank you!
I did a post about this last year as it started earlier here in California… darling dad.
I am most worried about candelabra bulbs.
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I so agree with your dad, but in California it is even worse…you can’t buy lamps that take more than a 100w bulb… and you can’t ship it from another state either. This I sadly discovered when my kids broke our torch lamp. Now we must sit in darkness or buy like 5 lamps!!!
It’s a little crazy that they are being pulled from the shelves when cigarettes are actually KILLING people every day, but they are legal?! Ok stepping off my soapbox now, lol.
But seriously, the new CFLs are actually pretty good! You can buy them with a globe over them so they look like incandescents in your lamps too. They sell dimmer ones too.
I prefer the old bulbs too! I don’t like being forced into something. And if you are pushing people to the new bulbs then give me better options at least!
My husband and I have been fighting about this for a year or more. I hate the new bulbs even though I know they are better for the environment. Ugh! It takes forever for them to light up! I’m with your dad!
I just changed my garage door opener bulb to CFL because the old bulb burnt out. My garage looks super eerie when I drive in at night. I agree with an above poster that said LED is the way to go. I will be investing in them as I run out of CFLs and regular incandescents. I have taken the approach to use CFLs where they make sense, where I won’t be reading or don’t care about the color of the room (garage, utility room, etc. ), I purchased some soft white CFLs and I was prepared to be disappointed, but they work fine in my living room. I think the warm caramel colored walls and burlap lamp shades help. I am still holding out with Edison bulbs on my front porch, in my bathroom and dining room.
I’m stockpiling too.. and this reminds me to get MORE!!! God I hope an earthquake doesn’t come and break all my bulbs… they are stacked floor to ceiling, in all watt types.. UGH!!
I may be getting too political here, but I’m a big believer in the free market. Without interference, the market will handle everything. If enough people prefer CFLs or believe they are better, then they will stop buying regular light bulbs and the light bulb companies will respond by removing them from their product line! As long as people like regular light bulbs and buy them, they should stay…! Plus, I hate the sterile/stark CFL glow!
I hate the new bulbs too. They provide not one iota of ambiance to a home! It wouldn’t surprise me if before long you won’t be able to get incandescent bulbs at all. And what do we do with all those things that require specialty bulbs? Chandies, oven lights, bathroom globe lights, and so on….
But what I hate even more is being forced to do something “for my own good”. If you worry about the energy loss, turn off your lights when not in use and use smaller wattage bulbs!
Karin, may I ask, where do we draw the line of being forced to change things we have done for centuries? Just wait until the government (or environmentalists, or whomever) come to take away your salt, or your sugar, or your eggs, or your water, or your fabrics, or your car, or your house because of all the terrible things that can happen related to all those things. Regulations that make decisions on what we are “allowed” to own or use make a very slippery slope that could ultimately lead to complete loss of individuality and freedom. Maybe some people like having “Big Brother” watching over them and protecting them from every danger, but I don’t. Not one bit!
I’m not a huge fan of flourescent bulbs, so I’m a bit frustrated myself.
Love that pic of your dad! What a good sport!!
So I saw a video of a guy from Congress (sorry I’m Canadian so my terms might be wrong here) but he was saying that if one of those new light bulbs was to break in the White House, the entire place would have to be evacuated due to the amount of mercury present in them. I thot that was quite something. So what do we do if one breaks in our home? We’re in the same boat up here. Not a fan of the change.
I thought I heard that rumor! I totally need to stock up! With the newer lamps I buy, I’ve been trying to get shades that are a lot thicker and with warmer undertones, to help compensate for the fluorescent bulbs. I still refuse to put them in our bedrooms but they’re acceptable in the laundry “room”, garage, outside, and the kitchen. My roommates used to make fun of me for complaining about fluorescent lighting. ha. PS I am totally into saving money and recycling and creating less waste but draw the line here.
I think it’s a conspiracy!
I HATE them!
I’m known at Wal-Mart as “that lady the light bulb hoarder”
And I’m proud of it. Lol
I have lets say enough to last the rest of my life!
Oh come on , in the US too?
I thought it is a European thing…
Here in Germany, you can`t even get a 60W bulb anymore!
Because of the “high electricity wastage”, that is what the government told us…
But if you`re clever you have to hoard as many of them as you can get!
I DID;))
Lovely greetings…
http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/
I am with your Dad on this one. I am so picky about my ambient light. I think I will ask Santa for lights for Christmas. The disposal of Fluorescent lights is a real landfill problem so I am not sure what the point is in saving energy or poisoning our earth, hmmm I choose for keep the lights and not poisoning our landfills!! I need to go shopping for light bulbs, Kathysue
I didn’t realize they were going to stop selling/making incandescent bulbs so soon. I really don’t care for the “gas station” lighting of the CFL bulbs. (It now makes sense why I saw a woman at the store the other day with her cart filled to the brim with lightbulbs.)
Personally I think they should have skipped right over the CFL’s and started making nice LEDs a long time ago. I dislike CFLs for so many reasons but do want to be environmentally concious, so for me, LEDs are the way to go. For some applications, however, there is nothing like a good ole incandescent.
I love everything about this post! Your Dad is so great.
I hate the new light bulbs so bad… the light is horrible…plus they have mercury in them.
I am interested in checking out the led lights that My Crafty Home Life mentioned!
Cindy
they really arent the same- I’m so upset that this is happening! I’m actually going to Sylvania with my design class tomorrow to learn all about lighting and the bulb change that is going to happen. I’ll let you know if I learn anything interesting!
I completely agree with your dad! I love the old style light bulb. Coil bulbs give off a blue light that is not as “warm” as the yellow glow of the old incandescent bulbs….. I’m going to miss those guys (sigh)….
Haha, love this! I’ve still be using the old bulbs, but I guess we’ll all be making the conversion sooner than later!
I hate the new bulbs. I think your dad has the right idea and I”ll be stockpiling along with him. It shouldn’t affect his pile since I”m in Canada:)
I’d vote for your dad in a heartbeat. I don’t like the new bulbs at all. I’m sick of the political correctness everywhere, and I don’t mind saying that I couldn’t care less how much “pollution” my beautiful old light bulbs give off….it certainly can’t be any more than the pollution the corporate jets make, flying the CEOs and their new lightbulbs around. Good grief.
I’m sorry, but this is too funny. Him stockpiling light bulbs like they’re bottled water and canned food for the apocalypse.
That being said, I still totally agree with him. Fluorescents just aren’t the same!
It’s a total conspiracy!! CFL’s just aren’t the same. And really, I don’t think that the difference in energy use between the old incandescents and the new CFL’s is that big a deal. Did you know that to really get your energy savings from a CFL you must leave it on for a while?
And for those against incandescent bulbs because they use energy from coal fired plants, I bet those new “green” electric cars pull more electricty than my old-school bulbs do. (Plus now that its cold outside, old-school bulbs help heat my house!)
Too funny, we’ve had a similar discussion! My dad should hang out with your dad…they would get along famously.
I was in Lowes a couple of weeks ago & could not find a single incandescent bulb. Apparently all the smart people, like your dad, have beat me to them. I absolutely HATE the light of those CFLs, & the LED lights all look blue to me. It makes me feel like we are dining in the headlights of a Lexus. Don’t even get me started on the price. In this economy the government is going to start mandating that we buy lightbulbs at $17/each (at least those were the only bulbs I could find to replace my recessed lights that burned out this month)?! I’m going to have to start stockpiling in Mexico and bringing back some illegal bulbs. Maybe I can create a black market and sell them to finance college for my kids. After spending $17/bulb on lightbulbs, I might need it!
I had no clue they are phasing them out. I feel like I better stock up on a few “just in case”.
I even tried the reveal cfl’s, scary! so sad…
Wow, this is news to me! I’m not even sure where I stand on the issue yet.
Say what?! I had absolutely no idea! So much for freedom of choice. LOL
There are so many other options in lighting now besides fluorescent and fluorescent’s are better now then they ever have been. I’m a huge lover of LED lights. The fact that we’re all hanging onto incandescents just shows how we’re all so slow to change and as designers I can’t believe the resistance from all your readers. I will say this I love that you and your dad go to Lowe’s for the holidays!! (:
I wrote a post recently about LED bulbs. I thought the only options were those coil ones, but they’ve come a long way – they’re cast a clean white light and are even dimmable!
http://ramblingrenovators.blogspot.com/2011/11/led-lighting-revolution-giveaway.html
Maybe give your dad a few LEDs to try out as a gift? ;)
Oh my gosh…I could not agree more!
We use the fluorescent ones in our closets and laundry rooms, but we prefer traditional bulbs in our lamps and ceiling fans. I didn’t know until this post that they’re phasing out the old-style bulbs!
wow, I’m surprised how negative people are about changing light-bulbs! I agree that the light in the new ones are not as pretty, but most comments say they don’t like this because they want to CHOOSE bulbs themselves!
Well… I’m sorry, but your choice is damaging the choices for the rest of the world. I think it’s about time that some one ‘forces’ Americans to be green, indeed! After all, ‘US households account for over six times as much carbon dioxide emissions than the remainder of the world per year, on average’. I love your country, but sometimes you just have to suck it up and chip in for the common good. No, this doesn’t make you a socialist, it is just something called ‘being responsible’. Thank you!
I thought of this post when I saw this video on Facebook this morning! A catchy song about how much the light bulb will be missed. (-:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xO5lGpFGcJY
I’m stockpiling also! I hate the new lightbulbs—I feel like everything I’ve heard about them is a lie:
1) I have not seen ANY electricity savings since I’ve used them.
2) After the initial phase, when they’re very bright, they become very dull. AND they take like five minutes to warm up to their full-dimness glory.
3) They’re like more than twice as expensive than old lightbulbs.
4) They burn out quickly, and then I don’t know how to dispose of them since they have mercury in them.
:-( I’m very happy unhappy about this lightbulb switcheroo!
I’ve been stockpiling also. You know if you break one of the energy efficient bulbs you need a HazMat team to clean up the harmful mercury. Ridiculous government regulation!
I HATE those stupid fluorescent bulbs and as a Home Stager, make all my clients get rid of them! They create a horrid, greenish hue and they’re very toxic when they break! A ridiculous idea! (and the LED Christmas lights are even uglier! I posted about them too!) Blah!
(thanks for asking!)
I’m with your dad 100%. If they don’t like the coal fired plants, then push them to convert to natural gas powered plants. It’s cleaner and is abundant and is easy to get out of the ground. I don’t worry as much about the “mercury footprint” of an incandescent bulb as I do the potential for having real mercury all over my floor if one of the new bulbs break. And how are we supposed to dispose of them safely. You know people are just going to throw them in their garbage which will go to the landfill and there goes the mercury again. I hate the quality of the light they give off. I moved into a new (to me) house and there were fluorescent lights in the bathroom. It took me forever to realize that I didn’t have anything wrong with my skin and I wasn’t sick–it was those silly bulbs making me look gross. I almost switched hair stylists because I thought she was messing up my hair color, but no, it was those lights. Maybe I’m shallow, but my mood and how I feel about myself and my home are much better when I and my furnishings are properly lit and the new bulbs just can’t do that. So, while I don’t use 100 watt bulbs for anything, you can be assured I’ll be stocking 60s, 40s, 3 way bulbs, and the chandelier bulbs that we use regularly in our home. This is really unacceptable! I wonder if the capital and White House have switched all of their bulbs over yet. I wonder how the dimmers in their dining rooms are working with those new bulbs. Who wants to eat dinner under glaring fluorescent lights?
I’m with your adorable dad also! I will never buy those fluorescent bulbs. HATE them. But there was an article in the New York Times that may make your dad feel better. Here’s part of it:
The law does not ban the use or manufacture of all incandescent bulbs, nor does it mandate the use of compact fluorescent ones. It simply requires that companies make some of their incandescent bulbs work a bit better, meeting a series of rolling deadlines between 2012 and 2014.
Furthermore, all sorts of exemptions are written into the law, which means that all sorts of bulbs are getting a free pass and can keep their energy-guzzling ways indefinitely, including “specialty bulbs” like the Edison bulbs favored by Mr. Henault, as well as three-way bulbs, silver-bottomed bulbs, chandelier bulbs, refrigerator bulbs, plant lights and many, many others.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/garden/fearing-the-phase-out-of-incandescent-bulbs.html?pagewanted=all
Sorry so long…obviously this is a very HOT topic.
Lighting options also create many of the natural tone of the light that is emitted, which makes everything look a little blue or yellow. May not be aware of it now, but after spending some time looking at led lights, and you will not look at the conventional options the same way.
A few days ago we pulled into the driveway and I glanced up at the warm yellow glow of out living room – filled with incandescent lights.
I said to my husband that it’s a shame that years from now people will see photos and video of these days…and they will long for the warms of the yellow light.
Cold. Blue. Green. CFLs.
Yuck.
I get it that the new bulbs last a lot longer, so they are greener and save money in the long run even though they are very expensive. But they are also ugly. I think they should make them mandatory for buildings and stores and hospitals. But for our homes, it’s so artificial and clinical. I hunk I might need to go and buy a ton and be like your dad. Either that or turn to candle light!
This should make (almost) everyone happy: Congress Overturns Incandescent Lightbulb ban: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/16/congress-overturns-incandescent-light-bulb-ban/
But it might be too late for American factory workers, whose jobs ended when US manufacturing plants closed and jobs were sent to China:
http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2010/10/04/ge-closes-last-incandescent-light-bulb-plant-jobs-sent-china
Nice work, environmentalists! We’re being poisoned in our own homes, paying $17 for LEDs and we don’t have any jobs.
I agree.I do not like those new bulbs at all!