Reason.com

Print|Email

New at Reason

March 27, 2007

Katherine Mangu-Ward wants a light that actually illuminates her room. The state wants to take it away from her. What would Hugo Chavez do?

← I Dreamed I Saw Larry "Bud"… | Main | Big (Wo)Man on Campus →

Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.

Guy Montag|3.27.07 @ 7:31AM|

Great article!

Sounds like this is a ready-made Seinfeld episode. Actually, could tie into about three old episodes with new issues. Replace shower heads with lightbulbs, etc. Gotta work Big Mercury in there someplace.

|3.27.07 @ 7:57AM|

I live in the northeast and have electric heat. I generally don't air condition in the summer. The heat given off by standard bulbs is a real blessing to me. It is a model of distributed small heat, think many candles. BTW shall we outlaw candles too?

|3.27.07 @ 8:02AM|

What would Hugo Chavez do?

Why, he'd expropriate the light.

For the People, of course.

Rhywun|3.27.07 @ 8:05AM|

I just moved into a new house with fluorescent lighting in the kitchen, and discovered that sugar is a yellowish-purple hue.

Guy Montag|3.27.07 @ 8:15AM|

discovered that sugar is a yellowish-purple hue.

That is the HFCS.

|3.27.07 @ 8:41AM|

I've been slowly replacing most of the bulbs in my house with fluorescents. They're more expensive, but I've never had one die on me yet. That they use less energy is a plus.

But I have problems with fluorescent lighting (Aspergers does that to some people) and have heard many tales of flickering lights, dim bulbs, and other problems with compact fluorescents. The environmental mercury thing combined with the environmental energy-saving thing will likely turn this into a movement that would only come with government intrusion. Luckily, this will mean that soon we can blame the government for whichever harm may result.

And my reading lamps? GE Reveal. Good cheap bulbs that attempt to reproduce sunlight. The hard-core environmentalist in me suggests I should sleep at night, but that's too easy a solution for such a complex social issue.

Mr. Magoo|3.27.07 @ 8:59AM|

Incandescent = warm, friendly, cozy.
Fluorescent = cold, sterile, harsh.

Of course we don't get to decide for ourselves; we can't see straight!

|3.27.07 @ 9:00AM|

We must not ever do anything to conserver energy. We must all use inefficient light bulbs and drive big SUVs. There is no energy source besides coal and oil that we can ever use. We must not worry about when oil runs out in 20, 50, 200, whatever years. We won't be alive then so we must not ever consider our descendants.

|3.27.07 @ 9:01AM|

conserver = conserve

|3.27.07 @ 9:02AM|

"Incandescent = warm, friendly, cozy.
Fluorescent = cold, sterile, harsh."

I moved into a house that had some fluorescent-only fittings. The light was very cold - until I fitted 'warm' fluorescent bulbs. Then it was OK.

|3.27.07 @ 9:09AM|

Mandatory fluorescents are a plot to destroy the influence of conservative talk radio. Once all buildings have AM-band interfering bulbs installed, the audience for Rush, Sean, Michael, Michael, Bill, Laura, etc. will be diminished. Their shows might survive by switching to streaming audio, podcasting and XM/Sirius, especially since digital forms of transmission won't be able to afford to pay the performance royalties on music anymore, and webcasters will be reduced to news, talk and sports. FM stations could take the AMers places in the syndication networks, since they'll have multiple channels once HD Radio goes wide. That'd give dittoheads a reason to replace their old receivers, leading to the success of the new market, and foiling the plot. The FCC could swap out the licenses of legacy AMs for more FM bandwidth slots as the digital tech is improved, and auction off the medium-wave spectrum for other uses, easing the deficit crunch or, more likely, fueling more idiotic pork barrel spending. Eventually, only grizzled old farts will be able to reminisce about DXing distant stations late at night. Grandchildren will nod and wonder when Grampa is going to schedule his next Rejuv session.

Or, they could fix the damned interference problem.

Kevin

Guy Montag|3.27.07 @ 9:15AM|

What would Hugo Chavez do?

Mewonders what Pearce Adams thinks Cesar Chavez would do.

Dave W.|3.27.07 @ 9:42AM|

Here in Canada, landlords often pay the utilities, and have for some time. I have lived in a couple of apartments, and the permanent lighting fixtures have uniformly been not incandescent, but not fluorescent either, but something I take to be halogen. I assume that the halogen switch was intended to save landlords on the utility costs (cheaper than separate metering, I guess).

It is very, very bad. The halogen lights are tiny points of WAY, WAY too bright light. The light is a nice yellow color but too harsh, and every time you look upwards you fry your retinas. The halogen bulbs burn out all the time and are expensive to replace. Sometimes they are impossible to replace.

So, I have been dealing with a private sector lightbulb disaster for a couple years now. Hopefully, Canada will be slow to mandate compact fluorescents, though, because the heat of the incandescents is nice in the Canadian winter. Nevertheless, the "Toronto Hydro" truck I spied this morning had a "switch to fluorescents" logo painted on on it. Maybe I just need to get out of here.

|3.27.07 @ 9:44AM|

"but the average American house has 50 light sockets"

Is this like the 50,000 women and children that are kidnapped each year?? Where did you come up with that number?? Just curious...

Passim|3.27.07 @ 9:44AM|

My girlfriend convinced me to use flourescents in the bathroom. Personally, I despise the harsh light and the slight delay in full lighting when I turn them on. But she pointed out that, for bathrooms especially, they are wiser because when you look in the mirror under that harsh blue light, you know how you will look when you get to the office. And you can take appropriate steps to correct the sickening appearance.

Passim|3.27.07 @ 9:52AM|

Jimmy,

I balked at that figure, too. I count 18 in my 2-bed apt.

|3.27.07 @ 9:53AM|

They will only take incandescent bulbs out of my cold dead hands.

Seriously though, flourescent bulbs hurt my eyes and if I have a headache, they aggravate it. And I can't stand the quality of light they give off - I think sometimes they cause headaches.

|3.27.07 @ 10:00AM|

"Maybe I just need to get out of here."

And go where?

America will become Canada within less than a generation. And Canada without a dynamic economy next to it to help prop up its welfare state will wither away very quickly.

Will there be any dynamic economies left in the world or will the whole world just be a collection of fascist states (not that it isn't that basically already), differing from each other mostly cosmetically, competing solely for their own selfish national interests? Then will see a real race to the bottom.

Jennifer|3.27.07 @ 10:05AM|

In my office everybody has a small incandescent lamp at their desk and we never turn on the overhead fluorescents. They don't save energy; they merely suck it out of the people on whom they shine.

|3.27.07 @ 10:05AM|

I might just have to move to Hong Kong.

Tym|3.27.07 @ 10:09AM|

What do they plan to be used with dimmer switches, which do not work with florescents? By the way dimmer switches save energey as well.

VM|3.27.07 @ 10:15AM|

Tym:

and you get that like really cool AMBIANCE. Dig the Barry White. Say to her after the loving. You got it.

wakka wakka wakka

"America will become Canada within less than a generation."
You mean: a country where female impersonators are portrayed by women?

|3.27.07 @ 10:19AM|

I don't get the hate for CFL's. The hate for *mandated* CFL's yes, but not the lights themselves. Yeah, the light is a bit different, but you get used to it pretty fast. And for that matter, if you stick them in a covered fixture you can't really tell the difference at all.

Admittedly, they have improved a lot in just the past couple of years, so it could be I've just worked with newer, better versions.

I live in Texas, and so the reduced heat generation makes a real difference to me in the summer.

|3.27.07 @ 10:21AM|

Recently, I wrote an article on the issue of fluorescents for a newspaper in Slovakia (my home country). I looked at it from the perspective of an EU citizen, and I did some number crunching, using only publicly available numbers from Eurostat. Replacing all incandescents with CFLs in EU households would result into:

* 0.8% of CO2 reduction
* 1% of NOx reduction
* 4.5% of SO2 reduction
* 2% increase in mercury pollution

The only two countries that would experience a decrease in mercury pollution would be the Czech Republic and Poland. CFLs would actually penalize countries with high levels of renewable energy sources, such as Norway, Iceland, Austria, Lithuania and Croatia.

|3.27.07 @ 10:23AM|

Katie, you're so whiny, you must be a liberal. Your "cheapskate" landlord is exercising the natural right* of the strong to oppress the weak. Buy your own place and fire your 357 magnum by candlelight, as I do!

*Not "god-given" because there is no god, only passionate, throbbing man and passionate, throbbing woman. Don't stand next to that skyscaper, it's gonna blow!

|3.27.07 @ 10:25AM|

"I might just have to move to Hong Kong."

Planning to travel back in time as well? Hong Kong has been a Chinese fascist state for about a decade now.

Then again, America is an anglo-Hawaiian fascist state.

|3.27.07 @ 10:32AM|

I stopped using incandescent bulbs years ago because I can't stand the dingy yellow light they throw off. I like Halogen, because it seems whiter, and more like real sunlight to me. Are they cheaper? They are definitely not cheaper up front; are they cheaper to operate? I really don't care.

|3.27.07 @ 10:33AM|

scrooged,

I know, I know. I'm thinking that won't last for long. / crosses fingers /

|3.27.07 @ 10:35AM|

Jammer,

The light from CFL's is disgusting. You're fortunate to not be sensitive to it.

Norm|3.27.07 @ 10:39AM|

Who cares about the trivial concerns of this whining bitch?

|3.27.07 @ 10:51AM|

"Who cares about the trivial concerns of this whining bitch?"

Look, my cracker, headaches and other health problems are no trivial matter. Go dig yourself up a new heart, preeyack.

|3.27.07 @ 10:52AM|

"BTW shall we outlaw candles too?"

No, you've got it backwards. The government is supposed to make it illegal to use all that free sunlight for illumination during the day.

The sun is an unfair competitor.

|3.27.07 @ 11:13AM|

As a California resident, I am concerned that Lloyd Levine is spending too much time legislating elephants' daily walks and light bulbs. Please Lloyd, turn your attention to the children of our state. What about the children?

Mike Laursen|3.27.07 @ 11:21AM|

I encourage everyone who has had bad experiences with fluorescent lighting to try the new generation of fluorescents that have "electronic ballasts": no flicker, no hum. Encourage you to do so, not force you.

wsdave|3.27.07 @ 11:24AM|

"but the average American house has 50 light sockets"

Is this like the 50,000 women and children that are kidnapped each year?? Where did you come up with that number?? Just curious..."

I've got 1,750ish feet, 3 bed/1.75 bath, and 53 light sockets.

|3.27.07 @ 11:31AM|

All right...how do you have .75 of a bath (or .25)?

edna|3.27.07 @ 11:32AM|

a good review of the technical issues which are beyond the itellect of congresschimps and assemblyapes.

http://sound.westhost.com/articles/incandescent.htm

edna|3.27.07 @ 11:32AM|

intellect, dammit. i hate this keyboard.

|3.27.07 @ 11:51AM|

I've switched most of my lamps and light fixtures in my house to CFLs. I still have a couple of incandescents for when I need it to be brighter, but i don't use them all that much, and I am happy with the switch.

My wife didn't like it at first, but she adjusted rather quickly.

I don't like the idea of mandating them or outlawing others, but would it be objectionable to tax incandescents at a higher rate? Personally I think this should be the way to go. This way people are given an incentive to move away from incandescents (avoiding higher costs due to taxes) and they still have the option to use incandescents if they need/want to and are willing to pay a premium.

|3.27.07 @ 12:17PM|

All right...how do you have .75 of a bath

A 1/2 bath is a toilet and sink, no tub or shower.

A 3/4 bath is toilet, sink, and shower, but no tub.

|3.27.07 @ 12:36PM|

A 1/4 bath is sink

At least that's what my 1 bed, 1 den, 1.25 bath apt. consists of.

Nick

|3.27.07 @ 2:59PM|

"would it be objectionable to tax incandescents at a higher rate?"

ChicagoTom...that's called stealing ;)

|3.27.07 @ 5:49PM|

"Jammer | March 27, 2007, 10:19am | #
I don't get the hate for CFL's. The hate for *mandated* CFL's yes, but not the lights themselves. Yeah, the light is a bit different, but you get used to it pretty fast. And for that matter, if you stick them in a covered fixture you can't really tell the difference at all."

I was wondering the same thing, but I've been replacing them only in covered fixtures, and they work just fine. They just take a minute to brighten up. It's worth it just to keep from standing on a chair to change the incandescent bulbs, and I have noticed a change in my electric bill.

I only replaced three, and I'll replace the other four in covered fixtures when the bulbs burn out. Naturally, I haven't had a bulb burn out since I did that, incandescent or otherwise. I think the other lights are scared.

Mike|3.27.07 @ 7:46PM|

I know it's like saying the Soviets made some awesome looking subways or Havana's a photogenic city, but the Sylvania Daylight CF bulbs are actually quite nice.

|3.27.07 @ 8:44PM|

So, will Katherine's next article be about her landlord installing crappy shower heads? I think you H&R horndogs may have given her the impression that we really care about her personal life.

Paul|3.27.07 @ 8:54PM|

"but the average American house has 50 light sockets"

Is this like the 50,000 women and children that are kidnapped each year?? Where did you come up with that number?? Just curious...

Think about it, it's not that unreasonable. Don't confuse "50 light sockets" with "50 lamps". If you consider all the lamps, plus the overhead lights that no one with taste uses, it can add up to 50 pretty quick. Also add in porch lights, front and back, closet interiors etc., 50's probably pretty reasonable.

Paul|3.27.07 @ 8:56PM|

My wife didn't like it at first, but she adjusted rather quickly.

Hey, just like low-flow toilets and showerheads. You flush six or eight times, and take showers four times longer to get the conditioner out. We adjusted.

Robert|3.27.07 @ 9:01PM|

I think SCR-type dimmers work with them, but won't help with the QRM.

|3.27.07 @ 10:10PM|

"Maybe I just need to get out of here."

Said the joker to the thief ...

thoreau|3.28.07 @ 6:58AM|

So, will Katherine's next article be about her landlord installing crappy shower heads?

Yes, but the article will also discuss her encounter with a black market showerhead dealer from Serbia. The Serbs are fanatical about their showers.

Most Popular Stories

Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey

advertisements

Get Reason E-mail Updates!

Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptions

Site comments/questions:

Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:


(310) 367-6109

Editorial & Production Offices:

3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245

Home|About|Advertise|Privacy|Contact
Copyright 2012, Reason.com