Light bulb factory closes; End of era for U.S. | Hacker News Reader

Light bulb factory closes; End of era for U.S.

washingtonpost.com

7 pointssiculars4 comments

We can't make lightbulbs in the U.S. Just stop and take a moment to think about that fact. Apparently there is no way to make a cost effective lightbulb in the United States of America. We need hundreds of millions of bulbs to keep the lights on. The new green bulbs cost something like 5$ each.

And we are supposed to be a super power? Don't get me wrong, I love this place and still think we are the best country in the world and best all around place to live but I really don't know how much longer I can say that. I've gone on about our long slow deterioration into the abyss and here is yet more proof. It's a crying shame.

Before some db posts a "Why does this belong on HN" comment, let me say that manufacturing, operations and logistics are all ripe for hacking innovation. Reading on in the article you will see the phrase: "With new automation techniques". The fact that there is dwindling manufacturing in America means there are no new automation techniques being learnt. That knowledge is reserved for foreigners who we pay for the pleasure.

How is it a slam on the U.S. when corporations are playing on a global field (i.e. it's cheaper to produce in another country) and the workers cannot (i.e. no equivalent freedom of movement or, in many places, freedom of unionizing). While some of this is about automation, more of it is about cheap labor and a lack of regulations provided by other countries.

The plant closed because of "a 2007 energy conservation measure passed by Congress that set standards essentially banning ordinary incandescents by 2014."

I'm going to have to stockpile incandescent bulbs I guess, because I want no part of CFLs. I tried them, and found that they are utterly inferior to incandescent bulbs in almost every way. I guess they use less electricity, but I noticed no significant change in my electric bill.

The light has an unpleasant color spectrum; they are dim for the first few minutes after you turn them on; they don't work well outside in the winter; they don't last much longer (despite claims to the contrary); they cost an order of magnitude more; and they contain toxic mercury which can contaminate your home if you drop one.

I moved into a new apartment townhome that has quite a few lights recently. A large living room with track lighting, multiple recessed lights in the kitchen, etc.

Between the first month and the second month, I dropped my electric bill by over $50. I don't believe I ran any appliances significantly different between the months. Temperatures were about the same.

What I did do was replace almost 20 incandescent bulbs with CFLs. If they were an average of 60 watts each and the CFL equivalents an average of 15 watts each, that's a drop of 900 watts in power usage for lighting.

There are definitely some bulbs that are slow to turn on and have a warm up period before they reach full brightness. I read reviews on all the bulbs I'd need online before buying, and none of the bulbs I got have that problem.

Sadly there were two bulbs I couldn't find a CFL replacement for, or I'd have cut my power bill even more. They're very small dimmable reflector lights. I can't find a CFL that's both a small enough reflector style to fit the lighting, and also be dimmable.

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