The old reliable incandescent light bulbs you’ve been using for decades (even though they may only last 6 months) are going away, have been going away for a few years, but their final curtain call is coming up soon. What does the end of the incandescent bulb and the growth of LED lights mean for you?
In case this is news to you, let me shed some light on the subject. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 structured a plan to raise the required efficiency of light bulbs, which effectively phased out incandescent. Part of the intention was to reduce the cost of American consumer’s electricity bill.
When will the end-stage of the incandescent phase out finally hit us and what will it mean to you? An article in the February 2015 issue of Electronic House explains how this all came about and what comes next.
You could view this as a problem or an opportunity. It’s a problem if you don’t like being told what to do, and you don’t want to pay more for newer technology LED lights. It’s an opportunity if you want to save on your electricity bill by replacing older bulbs with newer, more efficient bulbs. Everyone is thinking about energy management these days, and replacing old light bulbs is a good first step. In fact, the trend toward LED lights has created another trend/opportunity—the smart LED light bulb, which not only uses less electricity, it also can be controlled wirelessly by your smartphone and tablet and become part of a comprehensive home automation system.
Efficient light bulbs, such as compact fluorescent and LED, can be more expensive at the point of purchase, but over the life of the bulb (especially LED bulbs) more than make up for that price in energy savings.
Read more about the transition to more efficient lighting in this article, and if you want to learn more about selecting the best light bulbs including smart light bulbs, check out our lighting buying guide.
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This forced obsolescence has caused problems with old dimming technology in home automation systems. Most of the latest tech in both lamps (technically CFL and LED should be called lamps rather than lights) and switches has addressed these problems but not completely. You still can’t get a CFL to dim cleanly from 0 lumen up to desired light levels as you can with incandescent bulbs. LEDs seem to have a broader usable range but I’ve also run into the opposite problem with the amperage draw too low on an LED lamp for a dimmer to completely turn it off, thus leaving the lamp glowing at a very low level. If all you use is on/off switches or high end control systems for dimming you should be fine but if you are an avid DIY’er or try to utilize the cheaper lighting control on the market or even manual control, it takes some getting used to. My only last quip is with the look of the various new energy efficient lamps available. So far no one seems to be doing much for exposed bulbs in clear glass fixtures. Most of the CFL and LED offerings look terrible if say you have an outdoor clear glass coach light that you would normally use a clear incandescent bulb in. The only option there is the clear halogen offerings that may cost less power to run but only last as long as incandescents and still cost more to buy.
Great write up. I think bulbs (lamps 😉 for clear glass fixtures are starting to come along nicely now. Cheers
After reading this I have decided to transform my home lights to LED light bulbs. Thanks much for sharing by the way.