GE Incandescent Light Bulb Factory to go Dark

GE has announced the pending closure of the last major factory making ordinary incandescent light bulbs in the United States.  Two hundred jobs will be lost as the operation shifts to “green” light bulbs (compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs) that are to be made in China.  China manufactures 85% of the world’s total CFLs. 

Replacing incandescent bulbs, still used widely today, with CFLs, can substantially reduce the electricity used for lighting.  A CFL lasts ten times longer than an incandescent bulb.  Over its lifetime, each standard CFL is estimated to reduce electricity bills by roughly $30. These savings are determined to more than offset the price of a CFL, which is twice that of an incandescent bulb.

By contrast, new LED technology, which, currently, very expensive, lasts 50 times longer than incandescent technology.  LEDs are available for purchase today.  The price is being driven down with innovation and the LED will gradually replace the CFL, which has a disposal issue, due to the mercury contained in the bulb.

There is sure to be a debate as to whether, or not, the GE plant could be retrofitted for the manufacture of CFLs in the United States.  As well, incurring the carbon footprint of manufacturing a CFL in China, shipping it to a coastal port, transporting it via ship to the west coast of the United States, then shipping it, overland, via truck or train, to points east is questionable for a company, like GE, that promotes a strong “green” agenda. 

GE’s business decision, however, can be blamed on a law, passed by Congress in 2007, which bans the sale of incandescent bulbs by 2014.  Wouldn’t it be a “bright” idea if Congress could pass laws that would motivate the acceptance of new, more energy efficient technology, without causing an adverse effect on our economy?  Not considering the impact of behavioral modification initiatives, such as this law, is when things really go “dark.”