Quote:
Originally Posted by rgathright
Barrack Obama's emissaries could be reading and pass the tax overnight.  |
Tax? Heck no! Why bother when there are already provisions in place to just plain get rid of them!?
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act had provisions in it for phasing out hot-lights, starting with getting rid of the 100 watt bulb in 2012 and working the way down the list to the 40 watt bulb in 2014.
Notice that this is for "Energy Independence and Security"! Apparently, the government thinks it IS a matter of national security. In most peoples homes, the lighting is one of the biggest users of energy.
A few months back, I switched out all the bulbs in a friends house with CFLs. Half the bulbs in her house were 100 watts, and most the rest were 75. In the first month after I changed the bulbs, she moved into a home office in her basement, where she needed to run extra lights (no windows) run and electric space heater (cold down there) AND run a humidifier upstairs for a sick pet reptile.
Her electric bill DROPPED $10 that month. The change in light bulbs more than made up for the other additional electrical use.
When people use more efficient lighting, that reduces the need for energy, and new power plants. By changing bulbs, we need fewer nuclear power plants (threat of terrorism) coal plants (strip mining, air pollution, trapped miners) natural gas plants (limited resource, CO2 production) and transmission lines to move the power around.
Taxes have been historically used to encourage "proper" public behavior. Sin taxes on tobacco and alcohol help to discourage their use. Typically, revenue from those taxes is earmarked for programs that deal with relevant programs, for example, public health.
The bulb "ban" exempts bulbs less than 40 watts or over 100 watts, as well as specialty bulbs (3-way, rough service, appliance, etc.)
So yes, you can still have your X-mas lights, and your oven light, and your three-way reading lamp.
But for typical lighting we will all be saving a lot more energy (and money!)
I do hope that LED lights improve. I have been very happy with CFLs, but the Wal-Mart LEDs have not been very good. I do know there is currently a government program in place working with the industry to standardize how LED lighting is tested and manufactured to improve the technology.