T12 Fluorescent Lights obsolete and unavailable at end of 2010

[lovetheland]

A salesman at Home Depot told me today that T12 Fluorescent light fixtures and their bulbs will no longer be available after 2010 due to energy efficiency standards. He said anyone purchasing T12 fixtures now will no longer be able to find bulbs for them after the end of the year. He recommended the T8. However, the fixture will cost more. Has anyone else heard this? Hope I haven't been in the dark too long!

[garden_vato]

well then im super glad i decided against buying a t12 fixture 35 minutes ago

i guess that means i have to get something else....

[pepperhead212]

I also remember them telling us that CDs would be obsolete and unavailable many years ago.

[mjc]

Magnetic T12 ballasts ARE forbidden as of July 1 this year. Not sure how this affects T12 electronic ballasts. But as of April 2005 magnetic T12s were forbidden in new fixtures and only replacements were allowed to be sold/manufactured. The ban expands to include replacements, in July.

Basically, this is the first step...good old incandescent bulbs are next on the chopping block.

[seedysal]

Originally Posted by mjc

Basically, this is the first step...good old incandescent bulbs are next on the chopping block.

You ain't kiddin! You can't find them now!
Flourescnet lights are not good for your eyes when you have to sit under them all day (like I do in an office). I am slowling buying up packs of low wattage incand. bulbs whenever I can find them.

All our choices are being taken away.

Originally Posted by seedysal

You ain't kiddin! You can't find them now!
Flourescnet lights are not good for your eyes when you have to sit under them all day (like I do in an office). I am slowling buying up packs of low wattage incand. bulbs whenever I can find them.

All our choices are being taken away.

I agree, I cant stand fluorescent lights. Makes my eyes ache....

[Eephus Swift]

Thirded.

Not only are they unfriendly on the eyes, they're also proven to be bad for productivity/happiness, especially in the Winter, and/or for those with SAD.

Bottom line is that fluorescents are still sub-par lighting solutions when compared to types that reproduce sunlight-like conditions better.

I despise them, and I agree with others that are disappointed in our diminishing choices. My electricity bill is nary effected by using fluorescent over incandescents. My appliances and climate control take a MUCH larger toll. Putting in good insulation helps SO much more with energy efficiency than lightbulbs. Pretty stupid, and likely another handout from someone on Cap Hill.

[BobbyB]

I dont believe it has a thing to do with saving energy ar anything else but making a show . Everyone can see what kind of bulb you have burning and jump you for not having the proper bulb, but they cant see what insulation you have or if you even have any. So nothing can be said.

Its all a crock and more of Uncle Sam telling us what we can do instead of letting us decide for ourselves.

[cottagequeen]

Well, I for one have found switching has reduced my electric bill, by about $5 a month. Heat, hot water and cooking are gas. I have purchased florescent grow lights and the are awesome. The lighting used for artificial sunlight to decrease the bilirubin in babies was florescent for years. We still use them at work, but also now have LED ones. So, the SAD is not an issue if you have the right bulbs! They also make them in a soft white like incandescent lighting.

[Eephus Swift]

Originally Posted by cottagequeen

Well, I for one have found switching has reduced my electric bill, by about $5 a month. Heat, hot water and cooking are gas. I have purchased florescent grow lights and the are awesome. The lighting used for artificial sunlight to decrease the bilirubin in babies was florescent for years. We still use them at work, but also now have LED ones. So, the SAD is not an issue if you have the right bulbs! They also make them in a soft white like incandescent lighting.

I've used the soft white ones (in fact, I have a mix of Incans and Fluors right now), and they're still quite terrible, IMO, compared to incandescents.

See, and that's the story. $5/mo. I mean, really, what is that? My summertime electric bills are $150+, or about $.10/sf. Changing to FL lighting helps me almost none as a percentage, and I just don't see how it really helps save a whole lot as a collective, either, when A/C and giant office buildings continue to exist.

It really is a joke. I consider myself to be fairly vigilant when it comes to conservation, but this is one of the things that someone is banking on, and that is a real thumb to consumers.

Time to start hoarding bulbs, I guess. Sigh.