Whose Electric Bills Are They Anyway?
So there I sat. Struggling to make sense of the four new Trump federal indictments. And of Mike Pence’s opportunistic rapid-fire response. When a light bulb went off.
An incandescent bulb. The only kind I use.
And I realized we need to talk about bulbs, while I chew on the latest DOJ harassment of the former president. More on that tomorrow.
Today we have a more illuminating topic: Light bulbs.
Lefties love talking about choice, yet it never involves letting you chose what to put in your home or the method of transportation you use to get to work.
They want to ban gas stoves, water heaters and cars, but they’re starting out small.
With the humble light bulb.
You may have missed it, but meddlers in the Biden administration - the Energy Department this time - banned the sale and manufacture of most incandescent light bulbs in the United States.
Effective yesterday.
Did you know that?
CBS explains:
The rule passed by President Joe Biden's Department of Energy in April 2022 states that light bulbs must emit a minimum of 45 lumens per watt. A lumen is a measure of brightness.
That effectively outlaws the manufacture and sale of common incandescent bulbs, the kind you screw into the vast majority of light sockets in your home. That's because traditional incandescent bulbs provide just 15 lumens per watt, according to light bulb manufacturer Philips.
This “rule” was first put into effect in 2007 by the Obama administration but rolled back by Trump. Biden resurrected the reg that will force us all to buy LED lights even though they’re pricey and most of us can’t stand them.
“They make me look orange,” Trump complained before reversing the ban.
They hurt my eyes.
In an act of magnanimity, Biden will allow the sale of a select few incandescent bulbs:
Appliance lamps, including fridge and oven lights
Black lights
Bug lamps
Colored lamps
Infrared lamps
Left-handed thread lamps
Plant lights
Flood lights
Reflector lamps
Showcase lamps
Traffic signals
Some other specialty lights, including marine lamps and some odd-sized bulbs
Like many people who don’t like being told what to do in their own homes, I’ve been stocking up on garden-variety incandescent bulbs for a while. That’s getting harder to do, since most stores phased them out months ago.
LEDs are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but supposedly last longer and use less energy.
Gosh, I hope they’re as much fun to use as low-flow toilets that take two (or more) flushes per use, shower heads that dribble water and energy-efficient washing machines that leave your clothes looking dingy.
Psssst: You can still order a decent variety of incandescent bulbs on Amazon.
Don’t ask me how I know.
