The Energy and Security Act of 2007 has gained attention recently (despite its age, people seem to have suddenly discovered it), and while there has been a great deal of teeth gnashing and lightbulb hoarding, no one has addressed the approaching death of a cultural phenomenon: the lightbulb joke.

When we switch over to long-life LEDs for our light sources, we will extend lamp life from about 1,000 hours to 50,000 hours. Commercially, this is over 10 years, and residentially, over 20. My 4-year-old son will be out of college before my new LEDs burn out, so he will rarely, if ever, change a lightbulb.

He just won’t get jokes like:

Q: How many telemark skiers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 4. One to do it, the others to say, “Sweet turns, bro.”

Q: How many ski instructors does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 4. One to do it, the others to tell them how they did it wrong.

Q: How many union stage hands does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Straight show or musical?

As we leave Edison’s 1880 invention behind in history’s dustbin, and we replace it with light bulbs that no longer waste 90% of their energy as heat, we will lose this most cherished part of our culture. Sadly, the lightbulb joke will soon seem as dated and quaint as “You Might be a Redneck” and Saturday Night Live’s Belushi Era. All we’ll be left with is LOLZCats and Justin Bieber jokes.

Oh, the humanity.

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Recently, people have discovered that a Federal Law enacted in 2007 is going to eliminate 130-year-old technology. An article in the New York Times Magazine this weekend discusses the matter. What amazes me is how a visionary like Howard Brandston, one of the greatest lighting designers, is so opposed to the end of incandescence. His innovative imagination is hampered by his inability to move on from old technology.

Here at Alpenglow, we welcome new technology, particularly when it offers huge energy and money savings. As the NYT article points out, the patent on the incandescent light bulb dates to 1880, and it’s replacement can save 200 MILLION tons of CO2 per year. Although the cost of LED bulbs is relatively high ($30-80), consider that Edison’s bulb cost the equivalent of $10 in its day, and lasted 1/50th as long as an LED. Even today, a  25-cent incandescent lasts the same as edison’s bulb, about 1,000 hours. Edison also did not care about energy efficency when he designed the bulb, since he also owned the utility.

The cost of electricity is continuing to climb, with our local utility about to raise residential and commerical rates next month. Now is a great time to consider upgrading your lightbulbs to new tachnology. Contact Alpenglow to ask how we can help you.

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Alpenglow’s good friends at Greenline Architects have completed a wonderful Net-Zero Energy House in Lenado, Colorado. Alpenglow was pleased to contribute to the project. By using a combination of high-quality comact fluorescents and LEDs, lighting power consumption is under 1W/square foot. Today, the local electric utility announced residential and commercial rate increases effective July 1, 2011, energy efficiency is critical.

Currently, Alpenglow is working on energy retrofits for commercial projects, with power reductions of over 40% from the existing system. Contact us today to see how we can help you save energy and money.

More information: CohenLenadoPR 6-1-2011 V8

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