Just The Facts, Please...Incandescant Bulb Phase-out

Under the energy bill passed a couple of years ago, all light bulbs must use 25% to 30% less energy than today’s products by 2012 to 2014.

The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70% more efficient. Florescent bulbs meet the 70% standard.

What happens to bulbs higher than 100 watts? Scientific American had this to say:
"About two dozen categories of light bulbs are exempt from the U.S. law’s efficiency requirements, including oven and refrigerator bulbs, candelabra lamps, plant lights, replacement traffic signal bulbs and the summer necessity — the yellow bulb that doesn’t attract insects."

Although they will have a tough time meeting the 70% standard in 2020, incandescent bulbs are far from dead, and they haven’t been banned outright. Incandescent bulbs will either get more efficient, or bulb manufacturers will drop incandescents and move totally toward CFL’s.