It’s said that 100 bureaucrats are involved when it comes to changing bulbs — one actually changes it while 99 write about its environmental impact. America has — finally — banned incandescent light bulbs, a process that took nearly 16 years. Of course, the move will not have an effect on any other country but, keeping the environment in mind, it’s only a matter of time before we too start talking about it.

According to the rule passed by US president Joe Biden’s department of energy in April 2022, light bulbs need to emit a minimum of 45 lumens per Watt. A lumen is a measure of brightness. In simple words, it will affect the sale of common incandescent bulbs, ones that are screwed on into light sockets. Most traditional incandescent bulbs offer just 15 lumens per Watt, according to CNN. In comparison, most LED bulbs offer 75 lumens per Watt or more.

The new rules are expected to save Americans nearly $3 billion a year on their utility bills. Earlier, the rule was difficult to implement because of the high cost of LEDs, which has fallen rapidly over the years.
The roots of the new law can be traced to George W. Bush’s presidency when he signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The idea was to make bulbs that used between 40 and 100 Watts of electricity to become more energy efficient over time. During Barack Obama’s time in office, more regulations were put into place but Donald J. Trump didn’t care about it and infamously said in 2019: “I want an incandescent light. I want to look better, OK?”

Practical incandescent bulbs trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent. Incandescent bulbs create light by allowing an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison’s first practical light bulb used a carbonised cotton thread while modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas. Incandescents bulbs are not energy efficient.

Edison began making improvements in the carbon filament lamp immediately after it was first lit in October 1879, while competitors joined the race. Carbon filaments made of cotton thread were replaced by carbonised paper, bamboo and then tungsten, which posed some difficulty to scientists. The point is lifespan of bulbs increased and by the 1920s it was in the 2,000-plus-hour zone. And then lifetimes started dipping.

Centennial Light is the world’s longest-lasting light bulb, which has been on since 1901 at 4550 East Avenue, Livermore, California. Incandescents emit light by heating a wire filament until it glows and that means, the average bulb converts around 90 per cent of the electricity it consumes into heat, which is not efficient.

In India, the problem is different. People buy LED lights and some manufacturers promise long hours of usage but somehow most bulbs end up last lasting one to two years.