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Internet Travel Monitor - Technology Bits
April 23, 2008
Best Bets for Bulbs
NEWTON, MA – Light dims for incandescent bulbs
It had a good run. The technology for incandescent lightbulbs has changed little since Thomas Edison popularized them in 1879. But the bulbs we use today will be phased out starting in 2012 under a new energy law that set new standards for more efficient lighting.
The law does not mean incandescent lamps will be gone completely, said Susan Isenhour Anderson, manager of energy relations, Osram Sylvania.
"The 40-watt, 60-watt, 75-watt and 100-watt incandescent lamps we know today are going away, but they will be replaced by technologies that meet the new standards," she said. "The legislation is technology-neutral, so any technology that meets the standards can be sold."
Best bets for bulbs
The energy law passed in December 2007 requires more efficient standards for lightbulbs.
Compact fluorescent lights meet the new federal efficiency standards for general service lamps, according to Susan Isenhour Anderson, manager of energy relations, Osram Sylvania. Halogen lamps with layers of special infrared coating also will meet the standard.
"These lamps will look like the incandescent lightbulbs you know today and can be used in the same applications," she said. "They will operate at lower wattages and, therefore, use less energy."
LEDs are another possible replacement.
"The technology is developing and we expect to see them used in traditional incandescent applications in the future as technology advances and costs come down," Isenhour Anderson said. "We also expect to see new technologies emerging that are not yet available in the marketplace, and we could very well see additional advancements in technologies we already know.
"That is why it is important that the legislation is technology-neutral; it sets performance standards instead of banning specific technologies," she said.
Recycle used lightbulbs
Motel 6 is leaving the fluorescent light on for you. The chain rolled out a national fluorescent lightbulb and battery recycling program to help reduce the environmental impact of mercury, lead and other heavy metals.
Jim Amorosia, president and c.o.o., Motel 6, estimated in a statement that, despite the five-year life span of fluorescents, the properties will recycle 60,000 lightbulbs a year.
Copyright 2008 Questex Media Group, Inc. All rights
reserved. From http://www.hotelmotel.com. By Heather Gunter.
To view the Internet Travel Monitor Archive, click http://www.tripinfo.com/ITM/index.html.
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