Incandescent light bulbs to be phased out.

Congress has passed a bill that will eventually ban incandescent light bulbs in the next decade. I personally use CFL bulbs at my house. Last year when I moved I took all my CFL's from my old house, and I replaced them with the incandescents from my new house. But there are drawbacks to CFL's which would make many consumers prefer the older variety of bulb. For example, turning the lights on for only short periods of time causes a CFL to burn out quicker. If you have a light in your closet that is only on for less than a minute a day, then you would want an incandescent bulb for that closet light.

As people become aware of the money and energy that they can save with CFL's, they will eagerly make the switch if they figure that a CFL would in fact save them money in the application that they want to use it. But when the government steps in and makes the choice for them, it can cause more energy to be wasted in the long run. CFL's require more energy to manufacture, hence the higher cost. It is up to the consumers themselves to decide which bulb is right for them.