Standard bulbs phased out; alternatives can be turnoff for shoppers

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ANNE CHRISTNOVICH | Island Packet

It's lights out for the standard 100-watt incandescent light bulb after new national energy-efficiency laws took effect Monday.

Consumers in Beaufort County, however, may have already noticed a shortage of the particular pear-shaped bulbs because most stores in the area stopped carrying them months ago as manufacturers phased out their production.

The legislation, signed into law by George W. Bush in 2007, gave manufacturers nearly five years to increase energy efficiency in certain bulbs by at least 25 percent. The 100-watt bulb used too much energy to meet the law's requirements, prompting many companies to discontinue them.

"Some of the better brands -- GE, for example -- have stopped making them," Debbie Teresi, showroom manager at Bluffton's Graybar Lighting Showroom, said Tuesday. "We sold all ours about a month ago."

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