By Keith Miller August 17, 2011 OakdalePatch.com

A few months ago, my colleague Jim Persoon, who also serves on the Oakdale Environmental Management Commission, wrote an Environmental Notes column about the merits and disadvantages of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and whether there should be legislation enforcing their use. His column reviewed main points of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) which established efficiency standards for home and office lighting beginning in 2012, and, in the minds of many, essentially banned the use of incandescent light bulbs and mandated the use of CFLs. Jim concluded, for various reasons, that his home would continue to be an incandescent home.

Since then, Congress has introduced and voted on (and failed to pass) legislation that would repeal EISA 2007. But it is expected that the legislation (known as the Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act) will come before the U.S. House again. When it does, I hope it will once more be defeated. My reasons are many.

First of all, the EISA 2007 does not ban all incandescent light bulbs outright. Rather, the act, as stated above, establishes efficiency standards for all light bulbs sold in or imported into the U.S. Basically, the act limits the amount of energy light bulbs can consume (25 percent to 30 percent less energy). It’s true that incandescent bulbs, at present, are not able to meet the standards established in the act, but that doesn’t preclude new technologies from being developed that will make it possible for manufacturers to produce incandescents that will meet the standards in the future. It’s also true that CFLs currently do meet the energy efficiency standards set out in the act, so right now, they are a better buy.

And it should be noted that the lamp section of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association is in favor of transitioning to more energy-efficient lighting, including the energy-efficient light bulb provisions of the EISA 2007.

via The Light Bulb Debate Continues: Another Perspective – Oakdale, MN Patch.