SACRAMENTO, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A new light bulb is catching the fancy of green California lawmakers who are considering a ban on the sale of old-fashioned incandescent bulbs as of 2012.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that environmentalists and energy experts love the "stubby, squiggly fluorescent bulbs" and that the switch to the low-energy long-lasting compact fluorescent bulb would slash electricity consumption by a whopping 75 percent.
The author of the bill, state Assemblyman Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys, called the act of banning the bulb a "simple idea." "When you're running short of power, one thing you can do is find a way to make that energy go farther," he told the Times.
Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, is throwing its hefty weight behind the new bulbs and have urged their millions of customers to purchase one or two for starters.
Costs will be realized over the life of the new bulb, which can last 10 times as long as the incandescent kind. However, the new fluorescent bulbs are pricier than traditional incandescent bulbs.
