ON THE CUTTING EDGE: Mama, Don’t Take My Incandescent Bulbs Away
A recurring nightmare of The Stiletto’s is jack-booted environazis breaking down her front door and systematically unscrewing the incandescent light bulbs out of each of her lamps and light fixtures and taking them away as she sits on the floor sobbing and cursing the darkness. But a group of intrepid researchers have dedicated themselves to saving the incandescent bulb – and, not to put too fine a point on it, to preserve The Stiletto’s right to the lighting of her choice, reports The New York Times:
When Congress passed a new energy law two years ago, obituaries were written for the incandescent light bulb. The law set tough efficiency standards, due to take effect in 2012, that no traditional incandescent bulb on the market could meet, and a century-old technology that helped create the modern world seemed to be doomed.
But as it turns out, the obituaries were premature.
Researchers across the country have been racing to breathe new life into Thomas Edison’s light bulb, a pursuit that accelerated with the new legislation. …
“There’s a massive misperception that incandescents are going away quickly,” said Chris Calwell, a researcher with Ecos Consulting who studies the bulb market. “There have been more incandescent innovations in the last three years than in the last two decades.” …
For lighting researchers involved in trying to save the incandescent bulb, the goal is to come up with one that matches the energy savings of fluorescent bulbs while keeping the qualities that many consumers seem to like in incandescents, like the color of the light and the ease of using them with dimmers.
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