How Do You Like Your Light?

Time to say goodbye to the bulb that Edison made

Between now and 2014, lighting your home will by law become a more energy efficient endeavor. Standard incandescent bulbs, as per the “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,” will no longer be allowed to be manufactured in or imported to the U.S.A, which will change the lighting options available to you.

You can still get (and buy) regular lightbulbs

To be clear — the regulations that passed in 2007 (and that went into effect Sunday, January 1^st) mandate a three-year phase out of the manufacture and import of incandescent bulbs. Buying and selling these bulbs is not against the law. According to the schedule laid out, the 100-watt bulb is the first to go — this year, 2012. In 2013, say goodbye to the 75-watt bulb. And in two years, 60- and 40-watt bulbs will no long be allowed.

Banned, but not enforced—yet.

In a rather peculiar turn of events, however, the government voted to disallow spending any money to enforce the ban on 100-watt incandescent bulbs — at the very earliest until October 1^st, 2012.

In fact, not exactly banned at all

Although there are plenty of posts and articles about the total demise of the incandescent bulb, this is not actually the case at all. What the new rules demand is that incandescent bulbs manufactured or imported into the U.S.A. must conform to new energy standards. A normal 100-watt incandescent bulb draws 100 watts of power to produce the amount of light it does, but uses most of that energy to emit heat. The new rules require that a bulb that throws off the same amount of light only draw a maximum of 72 watts of power.  In April of last year, Philips Lighting launched a new line of incandescent bulbs that meet the new requirements. These bulbs are not as energy efficient as LED or CFL bulbs, but, according to Philips, the light they give off is the same as the light from traditional incandescents.

 

The EcoVantage bulbs are available at Amazon.com, Home Depot and a variety of online and local stores, if you want to see what kind of light they produce.

 

For more information on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and how it could impact you:

·        New York Times: Almost Time to Change the Bulb

·        The Advertiser: Out with the old-fashioned light bulb

·        The Washington Post: The incandescent light bulb is dead; long live the incandescent light bulb?

What Happened to the Housing Market in 2011

5 events that really had an impact

Time Magazine and AOL Real Estate each have lists of the most significant news in real estate in 2011:

AOL’s #1: “Foreclosure Crisis”

The “emotional and economic distress.” The “drag on a recovery.” The “tighter lending practices.” The robo-signing scandal. The prospect of a settlement that will only result in more foreclosures.

 

Time’s #1: “Robo-Signing Reverberations”

The record average foreclosure processing time of 2011 (631 days) can be directly linked to the speedy foreclosure processing scandal in 2010 — without proper or complete documentation. Many homes are still stalled somewhere mid-process, but when a settlement with the banks is reached, experts expect to see a distinct increase in foreclosure volume in 2012.

Time’s #2: “The Debt Ceiling and the Budget Deficit”

“One idea that both Republicans and Democrats didn’t totally disagree about was reducing the mortgage interest and other tax deductions. If and when that happens, high-income homeowners with mortgages would pay a lot more in taxes.”

AOL’s #3: “Bankrupt Policy”

The very definition of too little, too late — the administration’s multiple attempts to support homeowners in distress (HAMP, HARP, EHLP, or 2MP) all fell flat, failing to reach a substantial percentage of their intended beneficiaries and/or failing to provide substantial assistance.

Time’s #4: “Natural Disasters Cause Insurance Disaster?”

The federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program (NIFP) is still reeling from Katrina, a problem for the housing market that felt the spotlight when Irene struck this year. In a catch-22 of nearly epic proportions, if NFIP goes under, flood insurance goes away, bringing the housing market in flood-prone areas to a dead stop— as you cannot get a mortgage without flood insurance.