Say Goodbye to 100W Incandescent Bulbs by January 1, 2012

As I browse through my  “Home at Home” Home Hardware Catalogue, I noticed that on page 58 there’s an article entitled, “Change is coming January 2012!” It’s about the impending phase-out of the 100 Watt incandescent bulb. As of January 1, 2012 you will no longer be able to buy 100 Watt incandescent bulbs anywhere in North America. And, by December, 2012, 60 Watt bulbs will also be phased out. (Note, this program began January 1, 2011 in British Columbia — ahead of the curve, as usual.)

While I remember reading about the incandescent phase out, I admit that I haven’t taken much notice of it. We haven’t used 100W or 60 W incandescent bulbs in our home for a long time. Each time a 60 W goes we replace it with a 13 Watt CFL (as much as I intensely dislike CFLs, I dislike wasting energy and money more), and I don’t think we’ve ever had 100 Watt bulbs around. In case you’re wondering, 23W CFLs replace 100W incandescents.

OSRAM Sylvania, North America’s largest lighting manufacturer conducted its fourth annual “socket survey” this past year to find out if consumers are aware of the upcoming phase out.

A few of Sylvania’s findings (poll was conducted in the US):

• 55% of respondents were aware of the upcoming changes to lighting legislation,
• 87% of respondents still use incandescent bulbs in their home,
• 53% intend to switch to new technology (CFLs or LEDs) in the future,
• 56% of respondents are “eager” to switch to new technologies for efficiency reasons however,
• 13% still plan on hoarding 100Watt bulbs after the phase-out,
• 90% indicated that brightness, longevity and price were the three most important factors in choosing new bulbs,
• 73% of respondents also noted that being made in America was important.

Sylvania makes a 72 Watt halogen that is designed to replace the 100 Watt incandescent for a 28% reduction in energy use. However, the company is also launching an award winning 18 W Ultra LED A line bulb in June 2012, also designed to replace the 100 W incandescent. It lasts 25 times longer than the incandescent and uses 82% less energy overall.