The Phasing Out of Incandescent Bulbs, and What’s Next…

Some of you have heard or read that incandescent light bulbs are going away - this being true - you need to consider new option for replacing them. First, here is some background on this light bulb transition:

In 2007, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Independence & Security Act (EISA) into law. The provisions in this law are intended to reduce the energy usage & greenhouse gas emissions and enable the US to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy. One of the provisions provides for the phasing out of todays energy-hogging incandescent light bulbs (40W - 100W). This is important to you the consumer, because lighting accounts for about 15% of the electrical use in homes.

The law provides for a three year phase out schedule that will start with today's 100W light bulbs in 2011 in California and in 2012 in the other 49 states & territories. The 75W light bulbs will go away in year two and the 60W and 40W bulbs will away in year three. The law also sets minimum standards for general service incandescent light bulbs, making it necessary for you to replace the popular incandescent bulbs with more energy efficient ones.

According to Jake Hakimi, Energy Efficient light specialist at Los Angeles-based Alcon Lighting, "The lower wattage limits set by the new standards will use about 30% less energy than the old incandescent wattages they are replacing. This will mean lower energy costs to operate new bulbs and fewer greenhouse gas emissions."

New energy efficient bulbs operate at lower wattages for similar light output. The wattages for equivalent light outputs are different depending on the technology of the bulbs. This will mean that you will now need to choose a light bulb based on the light output (brightness - Lumens) of the bulb.

Go GREEN and start reaping the benefits of reduced energy usage, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and longer bulb life today while saving money on your electric bills. Below are some of the incandescent replacement bulbs Alcon Lighting offers, for a wide variety of applications and bulb types.

TCP 3W LED Dimmable Decorative Torpedo E12 Light Bulb
Pharox Dimmable LED LED Light Bulb
Pharox 800 LED Bulb 13W Retrofit Downlight
Pharox 5W Dimmable MR16 GU5.3 LED Bulb