In keeping with a law passed by Congress in 2007, tungsten-filament 40- and 60-watt incandescent light bulbs can no longer be manufactured in the U.S. as of January 1, 2014. This follows the already completed phase-out of manufacturing of 100-watt bulbs in 2012 followed by 75-watt bulbs in 2013.
This final phase-out will be the most significant because 40- and 60-watt bulbs represent more than 50 percent of the consumer lighting market.
The production of incandescent bulbs is being discontinued because the bulbs, which have been around since the late 1800s, no longer meet federal energy-efficiency standards.
The more energy-efficient replacements available to consumers include compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, and updated higher-efficiency versions of the incandescent bulb that use halogen gas to slow down deterioration of the tungsten filament.
While three in ten consumers intend to hoard supplies of the old bulbs and stick with them, most people say they’ll switch to one of the newer lighting technologies. About half of Americans will switch to CFLs, while a quarter envision using the newer LEDs.
Prices for the newer technologies continue to drop as their energy efficiency benefits increase.
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