The bright future of the American light bulb is not incandescent

A display of incandescent light bulbs is seen at the Pacific Gas and Electric energy center January 31, 2007 in San Francisco.

2014 may be the last year of the good old-fashion incandescent light bulb, as increased efficiency standards established by 2007 federal law are effectively shutting down the light bulb’s manufacture.

2014 may be the last year of the good old-fashion incandescent light bulb, as increased efficiency standards established by 2007 federal law are effectively shutting down the light bulb’s manufacture.

Backers of the law say that getting Americans to switch to higher-efficiency compact fluorescent (CFL) and LED bulbs will save billions of dollars a year in energy costs, but not everyone is on board with the switch. Many people are anxious about losing the unique light textures that incandescent provide, and some are stocking up on the bulbs before they’re a thing of the past.

Are incandescents an inefficient holdover that we’re finally rid of? Or should Americans be worried about having to see ourselves in a new light?

Guest:

Jane Harman, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center and the former U.S. Representative for California's 36th congressional district

Randy Burkett, Fellow at the International Association of Lighting Designers, president of Randy Burkett Lighting Design of St. Louis