They're unwanted in Cuba, Hugo Chavez is trying to kick them out of Venezuela, Australia and Canada are on timetables to get rid of them, the European Union says they soon simply won't be available and now the U.S. is considering new rules that effectively would ban the incandescent light bulb.
An energy bill passed by Congress yesterday bans the incandescent light bulb by 2014. Australia was the first country to announce an outright ban this year. It is part of the effort to counter the dire forecasts of global warming, but that’s not the only benefit.
What most people don’t realize is that only 10 percent of the power used by incandescent bulbs is turned into light, with 90 percent being released as heat. A typical 60 watt bulb lasts up to 1,000 hours, while many fluorescent bulbs can last up to 10 times longer. In addition, ordinary incandescent light bulbs generate only about 12-15 lumens per watt as opposed to the newly proposed CFL bulbs that generate near 60 lumens per watt.
So forget about the immense energy savings; the measureable lower cost on the environment or the simple fact that you get so much more for your money personally; it seems the only thing that people are worked up about (mostly Republicans it seems) is someone telling you what to do? What grade are we in again?
According to the Department of Energy, one energy efficient bulb can prevent the release of over 450 pounds of greenhouse gases! It is estimated that the actual energy demand reductions would save consumers (you and I) and business owners about $18 billion annually, and the annual energy demand for lighting would drop by the equivalent of the generation from 30 nuclear power plants or 60 coal burning power plants. Holy shit! And all I can see on the news is people (mostly Republicans) bitching about the government telling them what they can and cannot buy??!?!! Really? Is that all you got?
Well, I suppose in a way they are right. Hear that everyone? You SHOULD have the right to buy any freaking energy, draining, earth polluting, higher cost in the long run product that you feel like purchasing. You also have th right to shoot yourself in the face for being so stupid too, and though that is also frowned upon, you would not get any complaints from me.
They also complain about the brightness (which will improve in time) not being as bright as an incandescent bulb. Remember this people; when bulbs were first invented they were not so bright either. In fact, the first production incandescent bulbs couldn’t hold a candle to a ….uh…candle.
Get over yourselves. The next thing you know is everyone will be jumping all over Michelle Obama’s shit for suggesting that our schools encourage more exercise and adopt healthy eating programs for our overweight, lazy, Xbox generation children. Oh wait, they already did.
People tend to put themselves within a box. It's cozy; it's quiet; everything makes sense and now I FEEL secure. We're supposed to learn and change and try to adapt-- but that's the tricky part: adapting.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans are good at treating us like sheep because the majority of us are. Just tell us the key words that are in our box and we'll believe that the sky is red, Pluto is a planet and Democrats want to take our light bulb choices away.
Either way, I've seen this argument before. Not too long ago either... when people wanted to initiate a "recycling program." Wow, you mean I can recycle my glass bottle to come back as (perhaps) another glass bottle instead of throwing it in the trash? Now that's just science fiction talk you're speakin'.