As Eager New Stand-ins Wait in the Wings, the 100-Watt Incandescent Bulb Faces Retirement

100 Watt Light Bulb

The plight of the 100-watt incandescent light bulb seems weirdly akin to the predicament of Baby Boomers today. They have been on the market for years and have done the job both diligently and well, but they are being replaced by newer, brighter, more-cost-efficient candidates.

And so it should be—at least for the bulbs— although we cannot help feeling sentimental. While standard light bulbs cost about 50 cents per bulb and the energy efficient spiral compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs sell for about $3.00, advocates argue that the CFL bulbs will last five years longer and uses roughly 75 percent less energy.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit science advocacy group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, if every U.S. household replaced just one regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants—the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that, by replacing regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs at the same minimal rate, Americans would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year.

Australia led the way with its own incandescent light bulb ban back in 2007, while Europe began its ban on September 1 of this year. The directives of the U.S.Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) will become effective gradually, from 2012 through 2014—when manufacturers will cease production of most traditional incandescent bulbs, although retailers will be able to keep existing inventory on store shelves.

“Starting in January the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs begins,” said Rodney Heller, lead designer and managing partner of McFarland, Wisconsin-based Energy Performance Lighting. “The 100-watt light bulbs will get phased-out starting on January 1, 2012; and then the 75-watt bulbs will follow, on January 1, 2013. The 60- and 40-watt bulbs will get phased-out on January 1, 2014.

“The federal government is doing it this way because the most common bulb used is a 60-watt bulb,” Heller explained. “So removing the 100-watt light bulbs will not be as painful, but there will be a lot of people with complaints.”

According to the largest U.S. online lighting retailer, 1000Bulbs.com, the 100-watt bulb has been so popular through the years because of the relatively large amount of illumination it produces. The 100-watt incandescent produces about 1,500 lumens of light, compared to only 800 lumens for a 60-watt bulb. Technologies including halogen and compact fluorescent (CFL) have stepped up to take the 100 watt bulb's place by producing the same lumens using far fewer watts.  Manufacturers are also racing to produce a 1,500 lumen LED bulb, though they have been unsuccessful thus far.

1000Bulbs.com is taking steps to make this transition as easy as possible for customers. "Except for lighting experts, most consumers do not know what 'lumens' are. They just know they want a 100-watt bulb," said Paul Coppage, vice president of Product Development at 1000Bulbs.com. In preparation for the effects of the legislation, the company has increased its offering of alternatives and prepared its sales and customer service staff to handle questions related to the ban.

The company now carries a large assortment of 23 to 28 watt CFLs that replace the 100-watt light bulb. Because some customers are slow to adopt newer technologies, 1000Bulbs.com also has an inventory of A19-shaped halogen bulbs, which are the “technological cousin” of the incandescent, yet use only 72 watts to produce 1,490 lumens.

"Some customers are very nervous about the ban. They think it means they can't get a bulb that's bright enough. A few even think it's illegal to use the bulbs anymore," said Coppage. Both are misconceptions, as EISA 2007 bans the 100 watt bulb—but not 1,500 lumen bulbs in general— it is also not illegal for homeowners to continue using the bulbs they have. But, concludes Coppage, "It's our responsibility as lighting experts to educate our customers and help them make the best decisions."