From 2002 to 2012, use of electricity in the USA has grown by 0.6% every year. In the previous decade it had grown by 2.3%, which is less than the decades before that. Reduced growth is in spite of continued economic growth and an increase in the number of electronic gadgets and appliances. The Wall Street Journal reports Kilowatt-hours per dollar of GDP has fallen 1% per year over the past three decades and electricity use peaked in 2007. WOW! Hugh Wynne at Sanford C. Bernstein, a US financial research company, predicts the change from filament lamps to newer technology will eliminate between half and all of new electricity demand between 2013 and 2015. WOW!
So, should the US government continue banning many filament light bulbs as it has done? Should the Republican Party repeal legislation that has banned? I, Dr. Bulb will not get political. While one side can argue it is legislature that supports a common good and the other claims un-needed regulation in our lives, I argue the following. Check out the latest LED lamps. Try them. They rock. Companies like Toshiba have LED lamps that replace most of the lamps you may have in your home or business. These lamps save energy, protect the environment, emit really beautiful light, and have a quick payback. While the initial cost might be higher than the old incandescent lamp your grandmother used, the return on investment is there.
