WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's ChoiceIncandescent Phase Out

Incandescent Phase Out

SALISBURY, Md. - The dawn of a new lighting age has come to the American consumer. New federal laws will require a slow phasing out of all incandescent bulbs and the energy savers will take their place. Ray Brokamp is a user of energy saving bulbs, he says, "they last so long you put them in you don't have to worry about them for five,six or seven years."

Compact Fluorescent lamps and LED's have proven to be more energy efficient with a longer life span than incandescent bulbs, but Dan Silverman of Home Depot knows old habits are hard to break and has watched customers stock up on the older bulbs, "some people could be resistant to change, you know, in the new technology sometimes makes them uncomfortable."

Public sentiments over the energy saving bulbs has brought mixed reactions. Karen Morrison thinks the change may be difficult,"as a consumer it makes it a little more difficult to try and buy a bulb because you don't know what the current 100 watt equates to." Della Brunner doesn't think it will be a tough change,"I'm trying to switch over to the new version to help save money, but I still have the original old ones in the house."

Congress has mandated that all 100 watt incandescent bulbs can not be manufactured or imported in the US for 2012, other incandescent bulbs will be phased out in years to come.