Recently, a lightbulb burned out in one of our lamps. It was an old incandescent bulb, one of the few that still remain in our house. We’ve been replacing burned out bulbs with the new energy efficient type over the last couple of years.
It’s a strange thing, but every time I replace a bulb, I think of a time 40 or more years ago when, along with a cadre of my fellow Lions Club members, I pounded the pavement going door-to-door selling light bulbs as a fundraising event to support the club’s charitable work in the community. The bulbs came in a distinctive package featuring a cartoon lion on a purple background with the words “Lions Light Bulb Sale.” (I recently saw an ad on e-Bay for several packages.)
The campaign was called “Lions Light for Sight” and it was a fairly common fundraiser around the country. The bulbs, advertised as being hand-packed by blind workers, came in packs of two 60-watt, two 75-watt and two 100-watt bulbs. They sold for slightly more than our customers would have paid for comparable packages in the stores, but our talking point was that by buying the bulbs, patrons were helping the blind workers and contributing to our charities. It was a pretty hard sell (lots of our “older” customers didn’t want the 100s) and the Lions soon dropped the lightbulb sale in favor of other endeavors.
I’m also reminded of Garrison Keillor’s annual joke show on “Prairie Home Companion.” He always has a section of “lightbulb jokes.” You’ve heard them, right? A lightbulb joke asks how many people of a certain group are needed to change, replace or screw in a light bulb. Generally, the punch line highlights a stereotype of the target group. There are numerous versions of the lightbulb joke satirizing a wide range of cultures, beliefs and occupations. For example, “How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? None – the light bulb will change when it’s ready.”
The world of lightbulbs is changing. As of Jan. 1, 2012, new standards for lightbulbs went into effect. The standards require lightbulbs be at least 25 percent more efficient and carry labels on the front and back of packages to explain their brightness, annual operating costs and expected life span. The labels apply to all light bulbs made or imported after Jan. 1, 2012, but the efficiency standards applied only to traditional 100-watt incandescents on that day. The efficiency rules began applying to the old-fashioned 75-watt bulb in January 2013 and 40- and 60-watt bulbs in January 2014. Retailers were allowed to sell leftover bulbs as long as they weren’t made or imported after their deadline.
What was wrong with the old bulbs? Well, the incandescent bulb is notoriously inefficient. It wastes 90 percent of its energy as heat rather than light, which is why it’s so hot when in use. So in 2007, the U.S. Congress passed the bipartisan Energy Independence and Security Act, requiring light bulbs to use at least 25 percent less electricity for the amount of lumens, or light, produced. For example, a bulb that yields 1,600 lumens (typical in a 100-watt bulb) can now use only 72 watts or less of power.
So does that mean that all incandescent bulbs are now banned? No. Edison’s bulbs won’t meet the rules, but the halogen incandescent will. So, too, will the CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) and the LED (light-emitting diode), each of which is at least 75 percent more efficient than the traditional incandescent. Also, the rules don’t apply to less commonly used incandescents such as those used in appliances, three-way bulbs and colored bulbs. The new bulbs cost more to buy but they save money in the long run by using less energy.
That’s probably way more information than you care to know about the stuff that wanders through my eclectic mind, right? Lights out, friends!
