The House of
Representatives and the Department of Energy played out their own version of
the zombie apocalypse last week, as the House voted to reanimate the
all-but-dead incandescent light bulb and the Energy Department countered with
the announcement of $7 million more in funding to develop new, more energy
efficient lighting technologies.
Fittingly, The House vote
took place at night on June 5. By voice vote, members approved an amendment to
the 2012 Energy and Water spending bill that would prevent DOE from enforcing
the phase-in of new energy efficiency standards for light bulbs” but that could
turn out to be a classic case of locking the barn door after the horses are
gone.
Phasing out
inefficient light bulbs
Though the new standards
are required by a 2007 law enacted under President Bush, the so-called light
bulb "ban" has become a favorite target of conservative legislators
and pundits during President Obama’s term in office.
The law is actually not a
direct ban on any particular technology, but in effect it phases out the
low-cost, but notoriously inefficient conventional incandescent bulb. That
technology, which is based on heating a filament, has not changed substantially
in more than 100 years.