Relight your tree: incandescent bulbs on their way out

Goodbye inefficient incandescent Christmas light bulbs, hello CFLs.

That's what Congress said when they passed a law outlawing the sale of plain ol' light bulbs - at least the inefficient kind - as of 2012.

Says the New York Times:

And so far, consumers have been slow to give new products a chance. Compact fluorescents, for example, are already ubiquitous in stores. Many retailers, led by Wal-Mart, have promoted the economics of the bulbs — though compact fluorescents generally cost six times what incandescents do, they last six times as long and use far less energy.

The change was inevitable, given that your everyday lightbulb casts off most of its energy in the form of heat, not light. Compact fluorescents still contain mercury, however, and need to be handled with care. Recycling Jackson is working on an easy way for Jackson resident to dispose of their CFLs.

The future? LEDs, says the article, but right now they're just too expensive for casual use.