Greatest Girl's Toy Since Dolls
The
Easy Bake Oven is about a half century old. Scores of kids have suffered burns, or disappointment with poor results. Others have been thrilled with the toy. But, in January 2012, manufacture of the inefficient 100-W incandescent bulb, its heat source, will effectively cease. Federal law will prohibit it. You could hoard 100-W bulbs. Although, according to Hasbro.....
We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In Fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs. This new oven features a heating element that does not use a light bulb and offers an extensive assortment of mixes reflective of the hottest baking trends for today.
What is the GOP trying to do about this? More below the fold.
Why Is This Happening?
In December 2007, the federal government enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. It requires all general-purpose light bulbs producing 310–2600 lumens of light to be 30% more energy efficient than current bulbs. That would make them similar to halogen lamps. The efficiency standards will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014. Bulbs outside of this range are exempt, as are several specialty lights, appliance lamps, rough service bulbs, 3-way, colored lamps, and plant lights.
In 2011, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas and 14 other Republicans joined to introduce the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act or BULB Act (H.R. 91), which would have repealed Subtitle B of Title III of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Barton wanted people to have the freedom to buy what they wanted, while Rep. Michael Burgess pointed to jobs purportedly lost to China and voiced a fear of mercury problems resulting from CFL use. On July 12, 2011, H.R. 2417 failed to pass by the required two-thirds majority in the U.S. House.
The fight for light bulb freedom may not be over. The bill was defeated because the measure was brought up under rules that require a two-thirds majority for passage. According to Democratic whip, Steny Hoyer of Maryland...
Republicans were wrong to propose the repeal at a time when Congress should be focusing on creating jobs and on the debt-limit negotiations. “By bringing misguided bills like this one to the floor instead of a comprehensive jobs plan, it is clear that House Republicans are still in the dark,” Mr. Hoyer said in a statement titled “Not the Brightest Idea.”
What Are Some Choices For New Bulbs?
Most people know the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) as a choice. But, there are many choices within that category, as well as with other types of bulbs such as Light Emitting Diodes (LED). One of my favorite programs is Science Friday with Ira Flatow on Friday afternoons for 2 hours. Ira hosted a program recently on this topic of the legislation and the need for change. Two components of that program are linked below for your convenience.
First is the audio of the discussion in mp3 format.
Second is this video by the Science Friday staff which is quite entertaining.
We Made The Switch To CFL
In most lighting situations of our home, we have replaced incandescent with CFL. The ones we replaced were bulbs that were ON for long periods of time. Those were some can lights in the kitchen and family room, the light above our breakfast table, living room table lamps, and the sewing room lights for my wife's quilting projects. Lightbulbs with limited time use were not replaced. The CFL bulb life is shortened by frequent and brief power cycles.
Keep the receipts and some part of the packaging for the bulbs. They are more costly. But, they do carry long multi-year warranties. I found it was easier to obtain replacement or refund if I had a good record of the bulb's purchase date and placement in the house. I plan to hold the manufacturers to their claims.
Since I am a science geek, and proud of it, I have records of electric utility usage going back a few years. I noticed a significant drop in the Kw-Hr use immediately after these bulbs were replaced by CFL.