ONE STEP CLOSER TO LIGHTS OUT FOR THE INCANDESCENT

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Assemblymember Lloyd E. Levine
Chair, Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee

This week, the Assembly’s Utilities and Commerce Committee, legislation that I’ve authored to phase out the sale of incandescent light bulbs in California by 2012 – Assembly Bill 722 – was passed by the Committee on a bipartisan 9-3 vote. It was the first hearing for the bill, which was first announced on January 30, and since that time has garnered an amazing amount of attention around the world – and really, for quite a simple idea.

It takes 18 seconds to change a light bulb – but that 18 seconds can make all the difference to our environment, as well as California’s energy future. The goal of the legislation is to reduce power use while simultaneously cutting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 1.8 million metric tons per year, which is the equivalent of taking 400,000 cars off the roads and highways.

According to the California Energy Commission, compact fluorescent light bulbs are 75 percent more energy efficient than standard incandescent light bulbs. Unfortunately, energy-efficient lighting has not been widely used despite the fact that the technology has been around for almost 30 years. One of the primary reasons is cost. When most people shop for new bulbs, they’re most influenced by the price difference between a $.50 incandescent bulb and a $3 compact fluorescent. What they don’t realize is that over the seven-year life span of the compact fluorescent, their savings amounts to almost $62.