BYE BYE Incandescent Light Bulbs

The Lighting Energy Efficiency portion of the Energy Independence and Security Act began phasing in January 1, 2012 this effectively bans the manufacturing and importing of 100 watt incandescent light bulbs.  In 2013 the ban will eliminate the 75 watt with the 60 and 40 watt being eliminated in 2014.  What does this mean to the typical consumer?  They have 4 options; stockpile all the incandescent bulbs you will need, switch to Halogen bulbs, CFL (compact fluorescent light) or LED.  Will this affect your wallet?

Based on the life expectancy, purchase and annual operating cost the 4 options match up like this:

Bulb Type	Unit Cost	Total Cost to own & operate
Incandescent	$0.62	$12.50
Halogen	$1.75	$10.58
CFL	$1.66	$2.95
LED	$19.78	$2.50

Interesting how the LED bulb that cost almost as much as 32 incandescent bulbs will actual cost less to purchase and operate over the course of a year and with a $10.00 a year savings the payback is 2 years. And in terms of payback the CFL is indeed the winner with a 1.25 month payback.

 

How can this help the HVAC industry?  As the consumer becomes more aware of looking in terms of higher upfront costs being offset by energy savings, it should hopefully make the conversation easier when discussing High Efficiency Heating and Cooling equipment.