The sale of incandescent light bulbs (you know, the ones that get really hot, use up heaps of energy and burn out real quick) will be banned across California by 2012 if a state legislator gets his way.
Democrat Assemblyman Lloyd Levine wants to buck the trend in the uptake of low energy bulbs and is looking to introduce the change in legislation this week.
“Incandescent light bulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago and, since that time, they have undergone no major modifications,” Levine said last week.
“Meanwhile, they remain incredibly inefficient, converting only about 5% of the energy they receive into light.”
Levine – who last year introduced a bill that requires most grocery stores in the Golden State to have plastic bag recycling by July 2007 – says that the sale of low energy bulbs currently accounts for around 5% of the 2 billion bulbs sold annually in the US.
Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, is also hoping to cash in on the shift to low-energy bulbs and is planning to sell over 100 million units through its stores by the end of 2007.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about a fifth of the average US home’s electricity costs pays for lighting.
This cost could be drastically reduced by the installation of low-energy bulbs, especially considering that they use around 25% of the energy of incandescent bulbs and generate 70% less heat. Jeackpot!
