Lights out! Incandescent bulb soon to be history

>> what i'm sighing right now, is al dance to this song. this morning on today's home, let there be light . a new era in light bulbs is supposed to begin with congress passing a law banning the sale of the old-fashioned kind that have been around since thomas edison . "today" contributor, lou manfredini, host of the syndicated tv show , "house smarts" is here to explain how this is going to affect all of us. wasn't this supposed to kick in on the first of the year?

>> and it did. the real misinformation on this is the law is in fact current. what changed were the misinformation, is there's no money to enforce it. so it's like the speed limit is 55, but there are going to be no police on the road.

>> if i go to the store today, can i find these?

>> absolutely. but they're not being manufactured. it's the 100-watt, regular incandescent lightbulb that can no longer be manufactured and sold once the current stock is out. i don't want people to hoard these things.

>> we're going to tell them why that wouldn't be such a good idea, anyway. if you go to the store you're going to find the new variety. what's the biggest difference between this guy here and these?

>> here's the thing. what people lose out on is the fact that yes, these are cheaper. but the real cost is the usage.

>> the can get four of these for $1.99.

>> where you're spending the money is on the energy. if you replace the fix, most used light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent light bulbs, you'll save $60 a year, no question. if you change all of them, matt, this basket is the average number of bulbs. when they're all on, they use 3,000 watts. if i change these, i'm only using 650 watts of energy.

>> so while we're using them, they cost you less. and they last a long time.

>> right. here's what i want people to understand. not all compact fluorescent light bulbs and we'll talk about l.e.d.s, are made alike. you need to stick with brands like phillips, sylvania, ge. when you get into the ones who say, we'll give you ten for $5. they're not going to last that long and people say, hey, i bought these things and they didn't last. if you bought the name brands, you're going to save money year after year.

>> esthetically, people have always complained that the kind of light you get from them, and i know this one is different, but that light is a white, bright light and people don't like that in rooms. this is different.

>> this is a compact fluorescent light bulb with a shell over the top . this back here is a little bit dimmer is a halogen bulb . this is similar to an incandesce incandescent. it's dimmable and we have dimmable cfls, that uses 40% electricity.

>> when you go to the store, you won't see anything that says watts on the package any more. it's go about lumens.

>> and we can illustrate that here. with l.e.d. bulbs, buy this when your child is an infant. when they come home from college, you will leave that light on, to make sure they get home okay. it will last 20 years.

>> how much does it cost?

>> $27. it will last 20 years.

>> before i get to wattage here, what about safety while we're still here? people say they've got mercury in them.

>> i'm holding a pen, on the tip of the pen is the amount of mercury that's in a compact fluorescent light bulb .

>> so if you break one of these, it's not a health hazard .

>> worry about something else, coal-fired power plants dump 50 tons of mercury into the atmosphere every year.

>> how should you dispose of them?

>> many big box stores allow you to recycle them. even the epa says if they can't do that, some states require it, be careful wiping it up, don't lick it. you and i --

>> which i think is good advice for a lot of things.

>> you and i in science class , we played with mercury, remember? other than the third eye that you have, you're fine.

>> if i'm replacing a 100-watt incandescent bulb , how many lumens would i look to have the same level of light?

>> so, this is a little lumens decoration here where we're showing you. 100-watt bulb uses about 1600 lumens. when you go to the store, this is what the new packaging looks like. it's a lot like what happens on the back of a water heater that tells you the life and the energy used. it's going to give you the information to understand the light output. no longer are wattage. we all know what 100 watt is, the light that it gives off. now you have to pay attention to the lumens.

>> so 60 watts would be 800 lumens.

>> that's what you're looking for.

>> subtle lighting in a nice room.

>> here's an illustration of the energy. i've got a cfl running off of this meter. you can see the meter spinning slowly. this is the energy that you use, if i click over to that 100 watt, that's the money that you're spending ever are i single day. you don't need the new law to tell you to do this. this just makes sense. and overall, we use less energy, better for the environment and you will save more money.

>> how long does that one last, again?

>> 20 years.

>> thank you, point well made. lou manfredini.