Except that I can go to any Home Depot and pick up a cheap, effective, dim-able, standard incandescent bulbs. Granted, they cost $2 instead of $1, but should last at least twice as long while using 72% of the energy. Win-win-win for the consumer, the country and the environment. ...
I guess you are referring to halogen bulbs, which are not 'standard' dimable incandescent bulbs. They are a special type of incandescent. And I don't like halagon bulbs. I've bought some fixtures that unfortunately came with them. The bulbs cost me 4x as much at least, and I don't like the color temperature. Does Home Depot carry 2700K 40 and 60 watt equivalents?
I've read up on them, and 'dimable' is questionable. From wiki -
Halogen lamps are manufactured with enough halogen to match the rate of tungsten evaporation at their design voltage. Increasing the applied voltage increases the rate of evaporation, so at some point there may be insufficient halogen and the lamp goes black. Over-voltage operation is not generally recommended. With a reduced voltage the evaporation is lower and there may be too much halogen, which can lead to abnormal failure. At much lower voltages, the bulb temperature may be too low to support the halogen cycle, but by this time the evaporation rate is too low for the bulb to blacken significantly. There are many situations where halogen lamps are dimmed successfully. However, lamp life may not be extended as much as predicted. The life span on dimming depends on lamp construction, the halogen additive used and whether dimming is normally expected for this type.
So does 'dimable' just mean that they
can be dimmed but may have a much shorter life, or does 'dimable' mean they will last at least as long being dimmed. Dimming a 'standard' incandescent will greatly increase its life (about double with each 10% reduction in power).
And then there is the heat from a halogen -
Halogen lamps get hotter than regular incandescent lamps because the heat is concentrated on a smaller envelope surface, and because the surface is closer to the filament. This high temperature is essential to their operation. Because the halogen lamp operates at very high temperatures, it can pose fire and burn hazards. In Australia, numerous house fires each year are attributed to ceiling-mounted halogen downlights.[15][16] The Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services recommends that home owners consider instead using compact fluorescent lamps or light emitting diode lamps because they produce less heat.[17]
So I still have a choice? Sounds like we are back to CFL or LED unless I want to increase the risk of burning down my house (how does that calculate into the ROI, or carbon footprint?). Is it really a win-win-win?
And regarding the win-win-win - if something is a true win-win-win, why the heck would the govt need to legislate it? I'd just use it. I don't recall any govt mandate that I use email, it is a win-win-win so I use it.
The radio ranter in question was not bothered by the new standards in 2005 when they were passed into law by his own party. I would say it's "dishonest" to claim that incandescents were "outlawed" when they clearly weren't, except that I think it's really more a question of misinformation.
I have no idea what 'radio ranter' you are talking about in this thread? I don't want to take this into partisan politics. I'm discussing the bill on its (lack of) merits, nothing else.
It's just playing with words to claim that standard incandescent were not 'outlawed' - the law set limits on efficiency, and a standard incandescent can't meet those standards. So therefore, standard incandescents are outlawed, though not by name.
Halogens aren't that much more efficient than standard bulbs (about 17% more efficient - not 'points' but in percentage improved), so 17% hardly seems like a place to draw a line in the sand.
In fact, this legislation has hurt innovation. There were designs for a more efficient 'standard' incandescent, with none of the drawbacks, but since it fell just short of the legislated limits, they never brought it to market.
-ERD50