What You Need To Know About New Light Bulb Regulations
BOSTON (CBS) - Light bulbs as we know them are about to change.
New government regulations will be phased in after the first of the year which will no longer allow for the manufacture of 100 watt incandescent bulbs.
Hardware store owner Doug Satterfield explained this is part of the government's plan to get people to switch to bulbs that use a fraction of the energy to produce the same amount of light.
WBZ-TV's Joe Shortsleeve reports
He added, "These new light bulbs, the CFL's and the halogens, they give you the lumens with less wattage."
There are some loopholes, however.
Manufacturers will still be able to make and sell three way bulbs that include a 100 watt setting and higher.
Another change comes in July, and consumers might find this one a little more disruptive.
Old fluorescent tubes, the ones often used in basements and laundry rooms, won't be available come this summer.
The problem is the replacement bulbs don't fit into the existing fixtures.
"That's the one thing that is really going to frustrate consumers, "said Satterfield.
"They can't just put another bulb in the socket and use that lamp."
These are the changes in store for 2012, but there are more on the horizon.
75 watt incandescent bulbs are set to be phased out in 2013, and both 40 and 60 watt incandescent bulbs will be gone in 2014.
