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The only two incandescent bulbs in my house (other than appliance bulbs) are in an unheated side attic/closet and the crawl-space.
The instant-on and heat of the bulb works well there.
The intent of laws on light bulbs, whether a tax or a ban, it to reduce energy use. If you have a traditional bulb in a closet, where it is only on for a minute a day, it's not going to use much energy at all. Also, since the bulb is used so little, it should last a very long time. (For a really-long-lived bulb, put it on a dimmer switch where it dims from off to on. I know of light bulbs that last over ten years with regular use on that style switch.)
If the light over your kitchen sink is a 100 watt bulb, and it's on all the time, swapping out to a 25 watt CFL makes a HUGE difference in energy use!
I also swap between a heat lamp and a CFL in the bathroom for summer vs. winter.
And no, there isn't anything stopping somebody from buying a couple cases of bulbs and hoarding them. No special agents will bust into your house and arrest you for it.
Lets compare this to cars.
The government sets fuel-economy (CAFE) and pollution standards for new cars. You could still buy gas guzzlers, but why would you want to when you have to pay for the gas?
Actually, I guess that is a good comparison. I DO know a few people whose attitude is "If I want to drive a 3-miles-per-gallon 4x4 through to mud to the "Kill-It & Grill-It", that's my GOD-GIVEN RIGHT as an AMERICAN!"
Here's another comparison: CFLs use about one-quarter the energy of typical light bulbs. What uses one-quarter that energy of a typical car? An EV.
Think we'll see any bans on gas cars anytime soon?
Not until you can buy your EVs at Wal-Mart!
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