States vs the Feds over LIGHT BULBS

[pqr]

This should be interesting, assuming it is signed by the Governor.

 

http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/06/20/texas-tells-feds-shove-your-light-bulb-ban

 

A good teaching tool Commerce Clause vs States rights vs Fed

[joannqn]

Oh, I hope they don't force us all to use those stupid florescent bulbs. The owners of this house had them randomly throughout the house. The first thing I did was take them out and replace them; I only use full spectrum incandescent light bulbs. I hate hate hate florescent bulbs!

 

Now I have a bunch of florescent bulbs that I have to take down to hazardous waste if I ever have the extra time to go down there. It's not like I want to spend my time properly throwing away hazardous waste I didn't want in the first place.

[Sushi's Mom]

Now I have a bunch of florescent bulbs that I have to take down to hazardous waste if I ever have the extra time to go down there. It's not like I want to spend my time properly throwing away hazardous waste I didn't want in the first place.

 

 

You can take them to Lowes or Home Depot if one of those is close to you than the hazardous waste. They usually have a bin near the customer service desk for the lightbulbs. If not, just hand them to the peresonal at customer service and tell them you want thie bulbs to be recycled. They will take car of it for you.

 

I hate those bulbs and won't buy them. We had one that cracked while in use and the mercury vapors stunk terribly. We had to air out the house, turn off the air conditioning system, and clean everything around it. I had about 10 brand new bulbs left from various large packages (different watts) and I gave them away.

 

We just had to replace a light bulb and decided to spend the money on the new LED bulbs. So far it is very nice. The light seems much bright than the same wattage fluorescent.

Edited June 21, 2011 by Sushi's Mom

[Sushi's Mom]

Here is a link with info on how to clean up a broken bulb, if you have have one.

 

http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup-detailed.html

[kchara]

I hate those stinkin' florescent bulbs. They're way too dim, and I need light. DH, on the other hand, could live in a cave and be perfectly happy, so he buys them all. of. the. time. He says they save money. Whatever. I keep getting rid of them. He keeps buying them. It's a never ending circle. :glare:

[Anita in NC]

Those CFL bulbs simply don't work at our house. We live in the country with power that flickers on and off now and then. The CFL bulbs don't last but a few weeks before they pop and burn out.

 

What a waste of money. I will not buy them any more. I had an entire cardboard box of burned out CFL's that I took to Home Depot for proper disposal.

 

We do have some of the new LED light bulbs and they are definitely getting better as the technology evolves. I hope the price on them comes down.

[Tap]

Oh, I hope they don't force us all to use those stupid florescent bulbs. The owners of this house had them randomly throughout the house. The first thing I did was take them out and replace them; I only use full spectrum incandescent light bulbs. I hate hate hate florescent bulbs!

 

Now I have a bunch of florescent bulbs that I have to take down to hazardous waste if I ever have the extra time to go down there. It's not like I want to spend my time properly throwing away hazardous waste I didn't want in the first place.

 

Can you give them back to the landlord? Or save them in a box so when you move you can put them back in and take your bulbs with you?

[Veritaserum]

The flourescents we've tried have burned out way sooner than our incandescents. Plus the flourescents give me a headache. I can hear them and there is a subtle flickering that triggers a migraine. I hate them. :glare:

[ndseward]

I'm not a big fan of those lights either except maybe in rooms that I want to be dimly lit... However, one up side is that they made my peace lily bloom. Well, I guess that was the reason. Fluorescent bulbs were the only difference in the room from one year to the next.

It does amaze me that the same people who are so worried about our energy consumption and therefore try to force these bulbs on us are the ones who could care less that they are pushing hazardous materials into our homes.

I have high hopes for the new LEDs. I've heard good things so far, but honestly anything would be better at this point. :)

[Mommy22alyns]

I don't want to be forced with bulbs either. My reasoning is that those energy bulbs (which we do use in certain parts of the house) aren't bright enough. They seem dull. In the winter I need the bright light or I get depressed.

 

 

Same here. We can use them in the living room because there's 4 bulbs. But we can't use them in the bedrooms at all.

[keptwoman]

Australia legislated this a while ago but I haven't quite worked out the details as I am still able to buy some types of incandescent.

I'm not a fan of fluros, but the new halogen that fit in a normal incandescent socket are pretty good, with a better life and power usage than incandescent.

I have high hopes for the new LEDs. I've heard good things so far, but honestly anything would be better at this point. :)

 

Me too! We are holding off putting new light fixtures into our home because we believe that LEDs are the way of the future for home lighting.

[radiobrain]

Well, I have been buying (stocking up....not quite to hoarding;)) incandescent bulbs for the past 2 years. I try to buy a pack every time I do the grocery shopping.

 

We have to have 100 watt bulbs in our lamps for our drawing tables. It is absolutely necessary.

 

There are a few light fixtures in our house that a CF bulb will not work in.

 

I hate the light it gives off, don't like being told what I have to buy, and they are potentially hazardous. I fail to see the positives.

 

I do use them in a few odd places, though. Our energy company had a promotion where you could get a certain amount of CF bulbs from them for free. I got enough light bulbs to last quite a few years.

[ChrissySC]

While I do not agree with this either ...

 

Interstate Commerce Law and federal funding/support provided the states will win out.

 

Arguable points for interfernce certainly, but nonetheless, it will not matter.

 

The drinking age for states and other similar restrictions and laws were changed in the same manner.

 

Note: Our power company sends us free bulbs to use. :001_smile: I have about 20 in the closet. I bought the flourescents for the bathroom, and I am pleased with the light quality over the traditional or old-fashioned bulb.

 

Economically, it makes good sense to me.

[Josie]

:thumbup: When those Texans say, "Welcome to the country of Texas," they mean it.

[bethben]

This is why I don't have them in our house. Here's a little of the what to do if a bulb breaks according to the EPA:

 

 

• Have people and pets leave the room.
  
• Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
  
• Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
  

 

Can anyone see a problem with this when the temperature outside is -20 or a blizzard?!? I am soooo stocking up on those old fashioned energy wasters (unless of course the LED's get down in price or if I can even find them).

 

Beth

Edited June 21, 2011 by bethben
.

[cathmom]

I cannot have fluorescent lights in my home. They make me seriously sick. Unfortunately, we didn't discover that until I was nearly 18. When I was in first grade, I got horrible headaches every day (my first year in full day school). I remember crying, feeling my way down the hall to the nurse's office. I had a lot of testing done at a hospital in Philadelphia that showed nothing. Then I must have adjusted and was ok the rest of elementary school.

 

When I started junior high, again I had a very difficult adjustment. We no longer had recess, we weren't allowed to go outside at lunch, and we frequently had PE inside too.

 

When I started college I was living in an apartment where the kitchen was downstairs. The overhead fluorescent light was broken so I used a lamp. Then the light was fixed. within 2 weeks I could no longer cook or eat in my kitchen. I couldn't stand at the top of the stairs and look down into the kitchen without feeling sick. I thought I was going crazy until I realized it must be the light. I turned it off and started using the lamp and was fine again.

 

So we have no fluorescents in our house and never will. There are some stores that I can't go in without feeling immediately sick. And when I am pregnant, I cannot handle the lights in the grocery store and dh has to the do the shopping.

[Stacie Leigh]

This is why I don't have them in our house. Here's a little of the what to do if a bulb breaks according to the EPA:

 

 

• Have people and pets leave the room.

• Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.

• Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.

 

Can anyone see a problem with this when the temperature outside is -20 or a blizzard?!? I am soooo stocking up on those old fashioned energy wasters (unless of course the LED's get down in price or if I can even find them).

 

Beth

 

Seriously. My kids are 2, 4, 6 and 8... It's not like we're going to make it through their entire childhoods without breaking a bulb. (We already have and I threw out the vacuum we had to use to get glass particles.)

 

My kids haven't even been vaccinated and I'm bringing mercury laden bulbs into the house? No thank you. I shop where I can buy the old fashioned kind... for now. I hope I will continue to be able to for a looooong time!

[KidsHappen]

God bless Texas!

[FaithManor]

There are some interesting studies on the neuro effects of the flickering because even though most people do not "see" the flickering, the brain does. If I remember correctly, there are some folks who can have seizures if they spend too much time in fluorescent lighting. I need to go see if I can find those studies. If memory serves, one very reputed study showed some visual processing disorders getting worse in cfl than incandescent and suggested cfl's should be banned in schools. HMMMM

 

As for those bulbs breaking, yeah...big issue in the middle of winter. Wind chills below zero and my family is supposed to go stand outside for 20 minutes or more waiting for the house to air out. Me thinks not!

 

Go Texas and anyone else that says no.

 

I'm all for expanded use of LED light bulbs. We've been able to put in a few here and there and they are long life bulbs with minimal energy pull.

 

Faith

[Dirtroad]

:thumbup: When those Texans say, "Welcome to the country of Texas," they mean it.

 

:iagree::thumbup:

[Ellie]

Another reason to love Texas. :D

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Doesn't the Federal Government have anything better to work on than light bulbs? :confused:

[amey311]

Our complaint with the CFLs has been that we don't use them the way they want to be used. They do best if they're turned on and left on for large blocks of time. If you're someone who turns lights on and off regularly, then they ahve more "cycles" and they burn out faster. They suck in our (very busy) half bathroom, but manage better in our kitchen where we work by window "light" for most of the day, and then we turn on the light at dinner and leave it on nearly until bed.

 

DH was all for them initially because of the cost savings. He's taken a bunch back (thank you, costco) because they've burned out in 2 months after being in high cycling fixtures.

 

They also don't work with our x-10 switches (remote controls for lights - we have a spot light in the back yard and a couple other "hard to reach the switch" lights on a remote). They flicker like mad.

 

The hippie environmentalist in me wants them to be better, but I'm really not happy with how they work in a practical setting.

 

As for returning them to Home Depot - did you see the other thread about CFLs in NH? They're doing away with most of the recycling centers for them because of costs.

[TracieT]

They are terrible for outside when it's cold out. They have to warm up or something, so you turn them on and they are super dim until they warm up.

 

And I live in an old house with old light fixtures. Some take "decorative" type bulbs. Like my one bathroom....it's a giant round bulb. Am I supposed to stick an ugly curly thing in that or are they making them that look like a ball?

[Sherri in MI]

God bless Texas!

 

This is off topic, but I just have to say "KidsHappen", I love your user name & signature line! It makes me chuckle every time I see it! Thanks!

[Sherri in MI]

I haven't been keeping up on this really (who has time), so I don't know the Federal law, but it seems ridiculous to me that the government can tell us what lightbulbs to use! Especially since the CFLs are supposed to be more "green" (use less energy), yet they emit a toxic mercury vapor when broken. How green is that? Also many people, as mentioned here, cannot tolerate flourescent lights. They make me tired and depressed.

 

What is so awful about incandescents? Do they really contribute in a major way to our energy problems? I really don't know, I'm asking.

[Ellie]

Doesn't the Federal Government have anything better to work on than light bulbs? :confused:

I know, right?

 

This is crazier than when Congress decided to regulate how much water toilets used.:glare:

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I know, right?

 

This is crazier than when Congress decided to regulate how much water toilets used.:glare:

 

Or used kids' books cause lead poisoning?

[Tap]

They are terrible for outside when it's cold out. They have to warm up or something, so you turn them on and they are super dim until they warm up.

 

And I live in an old house with old light fixtures. Some take "decorative" type bulbs. Like my one bathroom....it's a giant round bulb. Am I supposed to stick an ugly curly thing in that or are they making them that look like a ball?

 

They have ball shaped ones.

 

They have outdoor ones that are a smidge dimmer (hardly noticeable) in the very cold weather, but there really isn't a difference at all after a few seconds.

[Tap]

I don't want to be forced with bulbs either. My reasoning is that those energy bulbs (which we do use in certain parts of the house) aren't bright enough. They seem dull. In the winter I need the bright light or I get depressed.

 

They come in many wattages. Just like with traditional bulbs, you may need to go up to a higher wattage to get the brightness you like.

[justamouse]

Don't get me started.

 

I am going to hoard incandescent bulbs like no ones business. Those CFLS give me migraines that make me want to yank my eyeballs out of my head. They are absolutely NOT ALLOWED in my house.

[joannqn]

They are terrible for outside when it's cold out. They have to warm up or something, so you turn them on and they are super dim until they warm up.

 

 

Or for in unheated garages. Our garage has fluorescent tubes. During the winter, there were days where we had no lighting in the garage no matter how long we left them on. We had to rely on the light on the garage opener which was way too dim to see much.

[lea1]

We have them in all bulbs that we can tolerate the warm up time required for them to be fully bright. My dh is very into them, in an attempt to save on the energy bill. He puts them everywhere and then I have to explain why this one is not good, such as the one in the mud room by the garage door - when you flip on the light so you can see to put on your shoes, it is aggravating when the light comes on and is too dim to see by.

 

Some of them are really bad and some I am OK with, although I am very concerned about the breakage issue. Dh put them in our master bath and I said no way.

 

Next thing you know, they will be outlawing bathtubs, in an effort to save water.

[Orthodox6]

Whether or not the CFL bulbs are good or bad overall, I don't see that as the issue. Only in my dumb state would there be a "hand-on-holster" legislative effort like this one!

 

(I love Texas, but we do some incredibly ridiculous things here.)

[DarlaS]

Exactly! There is something weird about the light they give off.

 

:iagree:

 

And they are noisy!

[lisamarie]

We have them in all bulbs that we can tolerate the warm up time required for them to be fully bright. My dh is very into them, in an attempt to save on the energy bill. He puts them everywhere and then I have to explain why this one is not good, such as the one in the mud room by the garage door - when you flip on the light so you can see to put on your shoes, it is aggravating when the light comes on and is too dim to see by.

 

Some of them are really bad and some I am OK with, although I am very concerned about the breakage issue. Dh put them in our master bath and I said no way.

 

Next thing you know, they will be outlawing bathtubs, in an effort to save water.

 

I put them in the fan lights in our bathroom and regular ones in the vanity. In the morning when I am bleary-eyed, I like the gradual warm up to light. Then once my eyes have adjusted, I turn on the full blast vanity lights.

 

I do use the CFLs but in higher wattages than a fair trade. If I take out an old 40 watt incandescent, I replace it with a 60-75 watt CFL.

 

The only issue I've had with CFLs is that they don't work with dimmer switches. The power doesn't shut off all the way on those switches so even if the switch is off, there's enough power going to make the CFL flicker on and off like a strobe light. So I am hoarding incandescents for those fixtures down the road.

[Murphy101]

The flourescents we've tried have burned out way sooner than our incandescents. Plus the flourescents give me a headache. I can hear them and there is a subtle flickering that triggers a migraine. I hate them. :glare:

 

:iagree: the neurologist my son saw a few months ago said to avoid them if I could bc he has seen so many more kids coming in for acute migraines like my son after the family has switched over to them in the house.

 

Our complaint with the CFLs has been that we don't use them the way they want to be used. They do best if they're turned on and left on for large blocks of time.

 

This too. I HATE them in the winter. Very dreary and it can take up to an hour for them to reach full brightness and even then they aren't as bright.

 

So far we have LOST money on the stupid things.

 

They easily cost double to triple the cost of regular bulbs.

They do NOT last anywhere near as long except in very specific situations. (if you turn lights off regularly, if you need them outside or in cold environments, if you have power flickers, if you have.... Then they do not last more than a few weeks or months tops.)

And I need to either pay more for the higher wattage and or buy several more light fixture to get the same lighting as a lower wattage or smaller number of fixtures.

[Mary in VA]

I admit it, we have been hoarding bulbs! I hate the light that CFL put off.

 

This is one of those pieces of legislation where all the consequences were not explored prior to passage-the toxic nature of the bulbs if broken, headaches caused by the bulbs, the expense of the bulbs because they do not last as long as advertised, and the disposal of old bulbs. I am willing to bet that there will be enough people who will not dispose of the bulbs properly and mercury will end up drinking water. Not everyone is aware of the mercury in the bulbs. We were stocking up on the incandescent bulbs at Home Depot and mentioned the reason to another customer looking at the bulbs. He liked the CFLs and we mentioned the mercury to him. He had absolutly no idea that there was mercury in them or they needed to be disposed of differently.

 

Hurray for Texas!

 

Mary

[Photo Ninja]

CFLs give me a headache. It is frustrating when I am shopping and have to leave the mall because of a headache from the flickering lights. It is no surprise that people are experiencing headaches, paying more for CFLs that don't last as long as incandescents, and are noticing that CFLs don't put off as much light as incandescents. These arguments were all brought up when politicians were discussing the original bill that banned incandescent light bulbs. It is not new information. Politicians simply ignored these facts at the time they passed the bill.

 

But maybe politicians will fix the problem they created.

 

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/upton-close-agreement-legislation-repeal

[Ellyndria]

Fluorescent lights make my eyes red. I think they also make me cranky. I like shopping, but it's also usually a relief when I get to leave the store. Some stores are worse than others.

 

I do not use CFLs in my home. I prefer natural light, and at night I keep lights off unless needed. We've been living here four years, and bulbs have been replaced maybe once, if at all, except for the bathroom. The bulbs in the bathroom get the most use (no window), and have been replaced two or three times.

[Mergath]

I'm one of the people who have seizures from fluorescent lights. As you can imagine, I'm less than thrilled about this.

 

From what I understand, you'll still be able to buy low wattage incandescent light bulbs. Forty watts or less, I heard. Maybe this is all just a way to get us to buy more of the incandescent bulbs. You can still use them, but you'll need twice as many to be able to see. :tongue_smilie: