How One State’s Light Bulb Legislation Could Impact All U.S. Manufacturing

[The Straight Story]

Dueling Light-Bulb Laws

I'm talking about South Carolina's Incandescent Light Bulb Freedom Act - a trivial-sounding piece of state legislation that could open a significant loophole for states that are desperate to create jobs and drum up revenue.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 - a predating piece of federal legislation - decreed that all incandescent bulbs be phased out by 2012, and permanently replaced by their fluorescent and halogen counterparts.

That's where the loophole comes in. You see, South Carolina's light bulb legislation would let the state continue to manufacture and sell incandescent bulbs - so long as they were made and sold exclusively in South Carolina.

While South Carolina's attempt to nullify a federal law smacks of an antebellum crisis, the move may well work. That's because, according to the Supreme Court's 1935 decision in the case of Schechter Poultry vs. United States, the federal government does not have the power to regulate commerce that is entirely conducted within a state.

http://moneymorning.com/2011/05/20/how-one-states-light-bulb-legislation-could-impact-all-us-manufacturing/

[kristopher]

1. I doubt it.

If the manufacturing and market is confined to SC, the costs will be prohibitively high. That will destroy the market that the right wing has drummed up by pushing this as part of their attack on climate change and "big government mandates".

[madrchsod]

2. i have to go to south carolina for my light bulbs?

it`s bad enough that we have to buy our knifes,forks,and spoons from china and now our light bulbs.

[Tesha]

18. Just by halogen incandescent lamps; you'll be very satisfied with them.

The non-halogen incandescent lamp has no reason
to exist in these modern times. It's only advantage
is that it's cheap to buy.

Tesha

[AndiMer]

20. If you like induced epilepsy, yes

Ugh!

[Tesha]

28. You have no idea what a halogen lamp is, do you? (NT)

[NutmegYankee]

37. Huh?

Halogen isn't fluorescent.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question151.htm

[MedicalAdmin]

24. For medical reasons our clinic will not use cfb's and I dislike halogen for the heat byproduct.

So we are jumping from incandescent straight the indirect LED. Almost no heat byproduct, low EMF byproduct and more efficient than cfb by a wide margin.

[Tesha]

29. Per unit of light, halogen lamps put out less heat than the equivalent conventional incandescent.

That's why they're marginally more efficient.

By the way, LED lamps are not "more efficient than cfb
by a wide margin"; right now, they run about neck-and-neck
although LEDs will probably win (slightly) in the long run.
And the best efficiency in "white light" right now is a
T5 linear fluorescent lamp running off an electronic
ballast.

Tesha

[MedicalAdmin]

56. Thanks - good to know.

I just know that our approach to the issue is one of exposure to EMF's as an adjunct to overall health. Of course our patient population is self selecting and not exactly statistically average. More than a few of them have medical issues that are complicated by EMF exposures and in that area LED's are leading the pack.

[WinkyDink]

32. And "cheap to buy" is scorned because?

[Tesha]

39. ...because life-cycle cost is a much better measure for most of us. (NT)

[scarletwoman]

38. They also help keep my house warmer in the winter so I burn less propane.

I'll keep buying incandescents for as long as I'm able. It's a ridiculous law.

[Tesha]

40. Electricity is more expensive than propane.

Here in New Hampshire, electricity is a helluva
lot more expensive than the natural gas we heat
our house with.

Tesha

[scarletwoman]

42. Proportionately, not for me. I keep my thermostat at 65 all winter.

I live in a tiny house. I have five 75W bulbs I turn on when I get home from work, to warm up the air in the house for the few hours I'm up before I go to bed. My winter electric bill is between $30-$35 a month, propane works out to be about $250-$300 a month.

Stretching my propane supply by paying a few extra bucks to have 5 lights on for four hours a night works out well for me here in central Minnesota.

sw

[Tesha]

43. Localized heating is often a better choice than generalized heating.

And I don't dispute your choosing it.

But you could just as easily use more-modern lighting
and an electric space heater that you run *ONLY* when
you actually need the heat rather than running inefficient
lamps all year round.

Tesha

[scarletwoman]

57. Enough! I've made the choices that work for me. My 5 incandescent bulbs are so utterly

insignificant in the larger picture of energy use in this country, it's ludicrous to even be challenged about it.

I'll put up my KWH usage against any damn yuppie with a houseful of CFLs any time -- my average daily usage is 8.08 KWH for the past 12 months.

sw

[madokie]

44. You bet it does in your case cause you have to have the light anyway

As a kid we heated with a central wood stove and about an hour before bed time I'd go turn the light on in the bedroom to take the chill off back there and it helped. Once I got under the covers it didn't matter much but on a cold night water would freeze if I left a glass on the table by my bed.

[scarletwoman]

58. Thank you. I'm sick of arguing about this.

I mean, good grief! I wear long underwear in my house in the winter so I can conserve on propane. I pile layers of quilts and blankets on my bed so I can keep the temperature low at night.

I probably have a smaller ecological footprint than at least 80% of the people on this forum -- and *I* need to give up my 5 incandescent bulbs?!?!?

To hell with that.

sw

[Shagbark Hickory]

54. Sounds like a good enough reason to me. Not everyone has millions of dollars.

[Tesha]

61. A halogen light bulb costs "millions of dollars"? (NT)

[Pab Sungenis]

3. They can't be.

Every single ingredient would have to come from South Carolina: from the glass to the metal in the base, to the tungsten in the filament. Do they mine tungsten in South Carolina? If not, then interstate or international commerce comes into play.

[former9thward]

5. If your theory were correct then the federal government

could regulate children who sell lemonade on a corner. I would submit they can not.

[Pab Sungenis]

6. In theory they could.

They don't because it would be ridiculous.

South Carolina's move is only a way to say "up yours" to the Feds, and intervening would make more sense.

[former9thward]

8. No they could not.

Even the most tortured twisting of Supreme Court decisions on the subject could not come up with that result.

[Fumesucker]

17. They use the commerce clause to regulate the weeds growing in your yard..

That's the legal doctrine used to make growing your own pot illegal, it *might* have an effect on interstate commerce.

[earcandle]

4. The white light of incandescent is modern and healthy. The yellow light of CFL's is depressing.

[jmowreader]

11. There are white light CFLs...

and most incandescents put out yellow light.

You're not using Halogenas or some other halogen bulb, are you? Those DO put out white light, and they're nice.

But back to the original piece: One of the major reasons South Carolina can do this is there's an incandescent bulb factory in South Carolina. It's apparently the only one left in the US. The other 49 states aren't going to see this law go through and go "oh, we must start making our own bulbs too!" because building a factory just to flip off the government is not something anyone can afford to do.

[earcandle]

19. at 1000lightbulbs.com they will not ship Full Spectrum lights to CA. I want some more before they

are gone.

[RC]

14. Besides yellow CFL bug lights, they also make a good CFL Black light.

I buy the Daylight CFL's. I like the bright White light they produce.

BTY incandescent lamps are not white. They tend toward the red, warm end of the spectrum.

[Scruffy1]

22. There is no such thing as "white light bulbs"

Light bulbs are rated by color temperature in degrees Kelvin. Most The lower the degrees the more the light is toward the red end of the spectrum the higher the kelvin rating the more towards the blue. Tungsten bulbs are usually around 3200 kelvin and the standard for daylight is 5600 degrees Kelvin. When light bulb manufacturers say warmer they mean more red.
In photography we use the 5600 degree standard mainly because its close to sunlight and the same as a xenon flash.
In reality the sky can be anywhere from 5-12,000 degrees Kelvin in color temperature.

Remember the colors of the spectrum: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

I have been using 5600 degree fluorescent for quite sometime in the studio and workshop and am quite pleased.

Halogen bulbs are only slightly above the color temp of tungsten, but the change is noticeable. In fact halogen bulbs are really tungsten operating under slightly higher temperature and pressure. Rare to find anything over about 4000k in building stores as most are used to Incandescent light have decorated their homes knowingly or unknowingly with tungsten lighting in mind.

[scarletwoman]

7. I hope they succeed and that other states follow suit.

You can have my incandescent bulbs when you pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

"The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007" -- one of the stupidest, most boneheaded pieces of legislation EVER.

sw

[cali]

10. c0ompletely agree.

[Little Star]

13. I'll agree with that! n/t

[distantearlywarning]

31. +1 to that

I cannot STAND living and working under other kinds of bulbs. I was thinking about hoarding a supply of incandescents before that law went into effect. Maybe I'll just pay to have them shipped from the Carolinas instead.

[Old and In the Way]

9. What's next? 8 MPG cars, burning leaded gas?

I'm sure bulb manufacturers will be jumping all over this opportunity to build factories to make trailing edge, inefficient lighting technology. :eyes:

[saras]

12. Whatever it takes...

It's a damnably stupid law, and I hope that more states and companies find more loopholes in it.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FLAprogressive]

16. The lightbulbs couldn't be transported on an interstate or U.S. highway either....

[ThomWV]

34. nor could any parts or materials be brought to them from out of state

[Lionessa]

21. I like flourescent, and

I could even tell some stories from my darkroom days, but anyway...

This will be interesting, I think. It will leave an area where the impact of such decisions can be clearly monitored and seen, such as higher energy costs for their constituents. On the other hand if it has to be entirely within the states, then that might somehow be good for the economy there because they'll have to use local workers for all stages of production and distribution.

I don't know, I see two sides to this issue, and have never been able to come to a solid pro- or anti-position.

However, I don't use lights like most folks do, I'm perfectly happy in a dimmed space now that most everything I need to do at night anymore is done on a lit screen.

[MadHound]

23. Time to start stocking up on incandescents.

Sorry, but due to an eye injury, my wife can't really stand much else besides incandescent lighting. With this ban coming up, I figure I'll simply buy enough incandescents to last the rest of my life. I have an attack, and light bulbs store well.

[Tesha]

30. Buy "halogen" lamps; they're just slightly-more-efficient incandescent lamps.

And they're still quite legal.

Tesha

[WinkyDink]

33. Read today's grocery ads: some stores are selling GE bulbs "Buy 1, Get 1."

2012's target is 100-W.

[Mr. Jefferson]

25. The Climate Change Industry will probably call for a second civil war.

[RandiFan1290]

26. Where is the Republican majority in Congress?

Where are they to save us from this tyranny??!!!

Guess it will be a major campaign issue instead :rofl:

[Kolesar]

27. Jon Stewart showed video of the Fox News clowns whining about spiral shaped bulbs

This is how it plays out in doucheville.

[Odin2005]

35. Many of us in the Autism Rights community hate the banning of incadescent bulbs.

Many people on the autism spectrum are extremely sensitive to and distressed by fluorescent lights and can percieve flickering from them even when neurotypical folks cannot.

[scarletwoman]

36. Thank you for speaking up! Outlawing the manufacture of incandescents is ridiculous.

When this country started using electricity we didn't outlaw candles and kerosene lamps. Those options are still available for those who want them.

If power usage needs to be controlled, how about starting with Las Vegas? The six incandescent light bulbs I use in my little house are nothing but a tiny blip in the overall energy consumption in this country. I'll keep them, dammit, and I'll fight for YOUR right to have the lighting that works for you!

sw

[Tesha]

41. So buy halogen lamps.

Or use fluorescent lamps with good electronic ballasts
that don't flicker in any human-perceivable way.

Tesha

[bobbolink]

45. Isn't being in a minority charming?

[backscatter712]

46. Would LEDs be a solution to this problem?

LEDs are even more energy-efficient than CFLs and conventional fluorescents, and there's a bit more control over things like the specific frequencies of light emitted. IIRC, good LED lighting (meaning the LEDs are provided with stable rectified DC power) doesn't flicker like CFLs might.

The primary advantage of CFLs and LEDs, and the reason why there's the big push that goes all the way to banning incandescent bulbs is the energy efficiency - a 15 watt CFL will emit as much light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb. By replacing incandescents with CFLs, you're cutting the power you use for your lights by 75%, which in my case, had a pleasantly noticeable effect on my electric bill.

[Odin2005]

48. Likely, yes.

[backscatter712]

49. Also googling this issue...

I found a discussion on wrongplanet.net on CFLs, and it's not just the flicker. Some CFL bulbs are available with higher frequencies, so instead of flickering at 60Hz, which people with ASDs might notice, it flickers at a higher rate, which might help.

And on top of the flicker, there's the fact that CFLs have to have a little transformer that kicks the voltage up to several thousand volts, so on top of the flicker, there's audible buzzing from CFLs, and there might be some RF noise that might affect people. LEDs run at low voltages, which solves that problem.

For me personally, any RF and noise issues from CFLs are dwarfed by all my other electronics...

[Tesha]

50. Any buzzing made by a CFL has nothing to do with "thousands of volts"; it has to do...

...with the inductor on the electrical filter that keeps the
CFL from putting electrical noise back in the power line.

LED lamps have the same component.

Also, if you can ever measure "thousands of volts" across
any component of a CFL, it would only be for a fraction of
a second while the lamp is being started. And many CFLs
don't even do that during start-up.

And the tungsten filaments of conventional incandescent
lamps often "sing" (give off high-pitched audible noise),
especially when they're operated on dimmers, even if the
dimmer is set to "full" brightness.

Tesha

[backscatter712]

52. My impression was that the inductor that buzzes is much smaller in LED lamps.

With LEDs, you're not transforming up to a few hundred volts like you'd need for a CFL, you're transforming down, and rectifying to turn the the power into a clean DC current that the LED likes. So my impression is that the inductor can be much smaller, which helps with the noise factor.

Correct me if I'm wrong on this.

[Tesha]

53. There's the line-frequency series input inductor;

that's the one that buzzes at 120 Hz (twice the
line frequency) and can be heard by us. That
input circuitry is essentially identical for CFLs
and LEDs.

Then there's the magnetic components associated
with the voltage conversion. These are different between
CFLs and LEDs but in both cases, they operate at
high (ultrasonic) frequencies and the noise they usually
produce can't be heard by us.

Tesha

[Odin2005]

59. It's funny. I'll tell people that the buzz from some electronic device is annoying...

...and people go "what noise?". :rofl:

[Tesha]

60. Mr. Tesha just replaced all of the fluorescent lights in his workshop.

The old ones were the absolutely-crappy bottom-of-barrrel
shop lights left by the previous owner. You know, low power-
factor open frame ballasts, non-rapid-start, thump on startup
and then buzz like crazy...

The new fixtures are nice 2x2-foot troffers with good
electronic ballasts; good power factor, nice fast smooth
starts, and best of all: NO BUZZ! The change in the
environment is positively amazing! (And someday, he'll
even get the rest of the suspended ceiling installed! ;) )

(These are the same type of lighting fixtures that he
installed in my sewing room when he refurbed that two
summers ago. I even got a completed suspended ceiling!)

Tesha

[Odin2005]

51. Yes, the BUZZ, I hate that!

[Angry Dragon]

47. Will there be jail for people that bring light bulbs across state lines??

[Shagbark Hickory]

55. I don't like this whole lighbulb thing. They let tobacco companies murder millions of people but

lightbulb that uses more electricity is more worthy of a ban? I don't get it. Makes sense that SC does this in my view.