Texas Aglow with Effort to Save the Incandescent Bulb

"Supporters of the new rules, who say the fluorescent lights save money and reduce energy demand, don't understand the fuss."

This quote is a prime example of the problem. A group of well-meaning people decide to make other people's lives "better" by deciding what's best for them, and ignore personal choice because they "don't understand the fuss."

There are many places we could be looking to regulate in order to improve energy efficiency, but the most politically expedient at the time was light bulbs, presumably because lobbyists would have fought harder against things like shutting down coal plants, making autos more efficient, etc.

People like their light bulbs. The quality of light in a room is important--it is one of the single most important elements of how a room looks and feels--yet anyone who points out that CFLs, LEDs, and other high-priced alternatives to the incandescent bulb are harsh and unpleasant stands to be dismissed by supporters of this new law.

CFLs have failed to dominate the marketplace on their own, so they're being mandated, and now we're seeing rebellion as the deadline draws near.

When it comes to promoting behaviors in a society, carrots work better than sticks. I would love to see some kind of X-Prize for improving our energy consumption, and real market solutions that would be welcomed by consumers.

Forcing people to change the way their private, personal homes look, and then dismissing their concerns with "what's the big deal?" is absolutely absurd.

I'm very torn on this. I do think it should be on our national agenda to produce and consume energy as efficiently as possible. That said, CF are not exactly a drop-in replacement for incandescents. They make a humming sound that's hard on my ears, and I've yet to find one that really gives off proper warm light. In short, I want to participate (even before I have to) but the technology is not quite there yet. Here's hoping for the newer LED technologies.