The day conservatives have long-feared has arrived: the end of the incandescent light bulb in the United States. Except not really. According to CNN, the long-planned end of manufacturing most incandescent light bulbs in the United States takes effect Wednesday, the first day of August.
Originally proposed during the George W. Bush administration, the ban pushed consumers to adopt higher-efficiency, longer-lasting LED bulbs. The new rule bans the manufacture of bulbs that produce less than 45 lumens per watt; LED bulbs typically produce 75 lumens per watt, while incandescent bulbs produce 15 lumens per watt. When fully adopted, switching to LED bulbs will save consumers an estimated $3 billion per year in US versus using incandescent bulbs.