Is It True Our Old Light Bulbs are a Thing of the Past?

Bye-bye lightbulbs, err rather, incandescent light bulbs. They are now a thing of the past. Thomas Edison is probably rolling over in his grave about now.

As of Tuesday, August 1, you cannot buy incandescent bulbs and of course retailers cannot sell them. And clearly, manufactures cannot make them either. So, we turn to the LED bulb that we have been using for some time.

Many question the cost because yes, they are more expensive at first, but an LED bulb uses 75% less energy and lasts 25% longer than the old incandescent bulb. So in the long run we should be saving money.

But what do you do with the old incandescent bulb you still have? Do you have to throw them out? Of course not. The lightbulb police aren't going to be coming house-to-house checking for heavens sake. You can still use what you have but you just can't buy any more.

There are the critics out there who see regulations on household appliances like lightbulbs and stoves as a sign of "government overreach."

Fox 17 reports the current Department of Energy estimates the standards would save us all $3 billion each year in utility costs.

Note that the average monthly electrical bill in the United States jumped to a 40-year high in 2022 (an 8% climb adjusting for inflation).

For sure questions around accessibility, affordability, and government overreach remain. But these new rules could be the next step toward a brighter and more energy-efficient future.