Aug 1 – Incandescent Light Bulbs Banned From Retail Sales

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The modern descendant of Thomas Edison’s most famous legacy is set to formally meet its demise in the U.S. at the end of this month, despite years of efforts by Republicans to extend its lifespan. As of Aug. 1, the Energy Department will fully enforce new efficiency regulations that the old bulbs can’t meet, effectively prohibiting their retail sale.

Full article at:
While everyone was yelling about gas stoves, the incandescent light bulb went away

WOW, should have bought that stock for an LED maker a long time ago.

HTH, Dana:))

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SueW, WSraysig

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Does that include the small wattage and special purpose bulbs as well? That doesn’t make much sense since there is nothing I’m aware of to replace them. I’ve been buying the rough usage, 130V. bulbs in higher wattages like 60W.

Even astrophysicist Carl Sagan when speaking astronomically used Billions, not Trillions.

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Some say the LED bulbs are expensive and inferior to incandescent in lifespan.  The free market gives the power of choice to the consumer.  Unless big nanny government decides for us.  Not good.

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LEDs are more expensive but they are not less in lifespan.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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While they were expensive (18 bulbs @ $11.50/bulb), I updated all my incandescent bulbs to Cree 60W 4-flow LED bulbs way back in July 2015 (8 years ago) and, with one exception (see below), they’re all still going strong! Prior to going all LED, I normally had to replace one or more 60W incandescent bulbs every 2 years or less.

About 6 months after I purchased these LED’s, a single bulb went out so I contacted Cree about their “5 year warranty“.

I was extremely surprised when they sent me a free replacement — no questions asked, no need to send them the defective bulb!

Of course, the price has dropped a lot since then! I recently paid ~$6.00/bulb to get 60W LED replacements for my Mom when she finally ran out of the “cheap” 60W incandescent bulbs she’d been hording for many years.

The other good thing about LED’s is they use a LOT less power than incandescent bulbs.

A 60W incandescent bulb uses 60W of power

A 60W LED bulb only uses 11W of power.

So my old 18 incandescent bulbs were using 1080W of power while the new 18 LED bulbs are only using 198W for the same amount of light output. That means I’m now consuming 882W less power and my energy bill is a little lower each month!

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SueW, Microfix

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I replaced all our home lighting with Phillips LED bulbs around 8 years ago.
We have only had one bulb die on us in all that time… no incandescent bulbs here.
Variations in luminescence (spelling), wattage and warm/cold light in lamps/ ceilings/ kitchen units etc. and the electrical power savings have been very good

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Several months ago I put LED bulbs in my refrigerator and freezer. The combo uses 8 bulbs and it makes the interior of the refrigerator and freezer really pop because the LEDs are so bright. Our whole house uses LEDs, but the fridge/freezer LEDs were the most dramatic.  Fun.

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I’ve gone through a lot of LED bulbs in much less time than what is described here. My garage bulb right now is in need of replacement… it’s so dim that I don’t even notice it’s on. The one in my front room lamp, on the other hand, died completely a couple of weeks ago. I can remember replacing a lot more of them!

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Myst

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The problem is, in 2019, the two US based LED bulb manufacturers (Cree & Sylvania/Phillips) decided to get out of the LED light bulb business and sold the rights to their products to companies that either make the LED’s they sell in China, or assembled them from Chinese made parts.

So, even though they’re still sold under the Cree and Sylvania/Phillips brand names, the new bulbs just don’t last as long as the old ones that were manufactured in the US using US parts. In fact, if you read the user reviews, you’ll find most of the “cheapest” brands now on the market (i.e. Feit, GE, Ecosmart, Sunlite, etc., etc.) don’t last much longer than the old incandescent bulbs did.

That’s why, when I went shopping for my Mom’s new LED bulbs, I bought her a set of the same older Cree 4-flow LED bulbs I use (only produced at the Cree factory in Durham NC before they stopped making LED bulbs) which were still available from a seller on Amazon.

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Too bad the government doesn’t refrain from devoting resources to creating mandates over the most mundane aspects of our lives.  Incandescent light bulbs, low-flow toilets, gas stoves, etc.  We would all be better off if taxpayer dollars went to important things like real infrastructure needs (e.g., deteriorating roads and bridges).

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Myst

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Many places are in permanent drought (California), many have trouble generating enough electricity (Texas), gas is a finite resource. Government is right to force us to help ourselves.

cheers, Paul

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However, the trend of forced electrification of autos will save us. /s

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Not a trend, simply a requirement if we all want to continue living in a similar fashion to our current arrangement.

cheers, Paul

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So, are they going to make an LED replacement for the small “flame” type chandelier bulbs?  What about my oven light?  Microwave light?  Refrigerator light?  7 Watt night light bulb?  Outdoor Christmas lights?  I’ve searched and can’t find anything saying that these low wattage bulbs are exempt from this ban like they were.  Using candles in my dining room chandelier will not provide enough light!

Even astrophysicist Carl Sagan when speaking astronomically used Billions, not Trillions.

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Myst, SueW

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There are more and more choices available. If you search the Home Depot web site for led bulbs, you will find that many of the items you listed are already available. (I agree that oven and microwave lights may be problematic, and some specialty bulbs (like G9) are larger than the originals and don’t fit in their fixtures.)

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Charlie

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When looking at the hardware store for a microwave bulb I found an LED the exact same size. Much brighter and has lasted quite a while. Microwaves tend to eat bulbs, so it remains to be seen how long it lives.

I haven’t yet found G8 bulbs for under-cabinet lights, probably too small to make an LED that size.

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Nope!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dimmable-Equivalent-Halogen-20W-25W-Bi-Pin/dp/B07PPFCC6B

cheers, Paul

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What about my  Refrigerator light?

See my post above.

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I tried to go full LED a few years ago but could not find low lumen bulbs.  I guess we’re all eventually going to have dark ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, and dryers.

The dimmable LED’s that I’ve tried over my dining room table have flickered when turned down to my preferred light level so those bulbs are still incandescent while $$$ worth of LED bulbs sit in a box in the garage.

The LED flashlights I have purchased have had short lifespans.  I rely on a Radio Shack flashlight that is decades old.

 

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Charlie

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Tom in Az wrote:

I haven’t yet found G8 bulbs for under-cabinet lights, probably too small to make an LED that size.

Try Amazon:

G8 LED bulb equivalent

I have best results in finding the specialty bulbs at Lowe’s or Home Depot, but usually get cheaper prices thru Amazon.

HTH, Dana:))

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SueW, Tom in Az

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Charlie wrote:

So, are they going to make an LED replacement for the small “flame” type chandelier bulbs? What about my oven light? Microwave light? Refrigerator light? 7 Watt night light bulb? Outdoor Christmas lights?

Possibly at some future date but, for now, the following types of “incandescent” bubs are not banned from being manufactured/sold.

• Appliance lamps, including fridge and oven lights
• Black lights
• Bug lamps
• Colored lamps
• Infrared lamps
• Left-handed thread lamps — huh
• Plant lights
• Flood lights
• Reflector lamps
• Showcase lamps
• Traffic signals
• Some other specialty lights, including marine lamps and some odd-sized bulbs

What you need to know about the incandescent light bulb ban
by David Goldman, CNN, Updated 9:23 AM EDT, Tue August 1, 2023

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SueW, Charlie

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Traffic signals should all be LED by now.
Years ago a discussion of failed traffic signals had a caller who said “I will replace all your traffic signals with LEDs and maintain then if you pay me just the electricity bill you are currently paying”.

cheers, Paul

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