Lights out for light bulbs in California?

Bebi

Lights out for light bulbs in California?
Wednesday January 31, 07:38 PM
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LOS ANGELES (AFP) -

Traditional light bulbs could be outlawed in California if groundbreaking environmental legislation being proposed by a state legislator is approved.

Democratic politician Lloyd Levine said his bill -- the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb Act" -- would ban the sales of cheaper incandescent bulbs in favour of compact energy-efficient lamps.

Levine said the ban, which would take effect from 2012, would save consumers money over the long-term despite the fact that energy-efficient bulbs are more expensive to buy.

"When a consumer is standing in a store and they're confronted with two different products, they generally opt for the one that is cheaper and the one they've traditionally bought," he said.

"The problem is: The one they think is cheaper is only cheap at that moment in time. The other one is cheaper over the long run."

According to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a nonprofit organization which specializes in energy policy, replacing a 75-watt incandescent light bulb with a 20-watt compact fluorescent would save 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide and save customers 55 dollars over the life of the bulb.

The institute said the average life of a 75-watt incandescent bulb is roughly 750 hours, while the life of an energy-efficient bulb is 10,000 hours.

"The time has come for this legislation, and what better state to lead the charge than California," Levine said.

California has some of the toughest environmental laws of any US state, with Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger making the environment a central plank of his final four years in charge.

A spokesman Schwarzenegger said the governor had not seen the bill and has no stance on it. But the actor-turned-politician revealed last year that he is tough on his children whenever they fail to turn lights off.

"I unscrew the light bulbs in my house if I see the kids leaving the lights on in their room," he said.

"Every time they leave the lights on, one more light bulb goes. And eventually within a week they end up in a dark room, and they stay there for a long time, may I remind you. Now they don't ever leave the lights on anymore."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/31012007...ights-light-bulbs-california.html

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