California Assemblyman wants to ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2012

LOS ANGELES - California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine is in favor of a complete ban on incandescent lightbulbs by 2012 as a first step toward fighting global warming.

Levine says that the energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs are a viable alternative and can also reduce the impact of greenhouse gases. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are indeed a method to save energy as they use only 25 percent of the energy used by traditional lightbulbs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that by 2005 around 100 million CFLs have been sold in the country. This is just about 5 percent of the 2-billion strong lightbulb market. "They save money and energy," EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said. "They are more convenient than other alternatives and come in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture."

CFLs are the flavor of the season as Wal-Mart has also announced that it would be selling 100 million such bulbs by the end of 2007.

Levine said Tuesday that such bulbs were needed as the traditional models have not been modified since they were last invented.

"Incandescent lightbulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications," he added. "Meanwhile, they remain incredibly inefficient; converting only about 5 percent of the energy they receive into light."

California is the first US state to legislate on global warming after it became mandatory to cut greenhouse emissions by 25 percent over the next 13 years.

Arthur Rosenfeld, a member of the California Energy Commission revealed that an average household could expect to save $40 to $50 each year if CFLs are chosen over the conventional lightbulbs.

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