By: Brayden Yin

The Department of Energy said last year that the manufacture and sale of incandescent bulbs would be phased out in 2023. The company Lightbulbs.com was flooded with calls from worried callers who wanted to know if it was true that incandescent lightbulbs were banned by the Biden administration.

Like the gas stove, the lightbulb has been a point of conflict between two political parties: on one side, Democrats and environmentalists are pushing to reduce carbon emissions, while on the other side, Republicans and libertarians are arguing for the right to do what they want in their own home.

Paul McLellan is the owner of Lightbulbs.com, and he commented on the incandescent bulb ban, saying that it was better for the environment, but bad for sales. He said that he had to agree logically that the bulbs were not good for the environment, but he was lamenting the drop in sales, which was a blind spot in the government’s move to ban incandescent bulbs.

The beginning of the ban on incandescent bulbs started in 2007, when President George W. Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act. This law required bulbs that used between 40 and 100 watts were gradually required to become more energy efficient.

New models of lightbulbs, called LED bulbs, cost more upfront when a consumer buys them, but they last far longer and use less electricity, equating to a lower utility bill.

Former President Donald Trump also gave his thoughts on the ban. When he entered office, he wiped out Obama-era laws and regulations, and said, nonsensically, “I want to look better, OK? I want to pay less money to look better. Does that make sense? You pay much less money, and you look better.”

The future of incandescent bulbs is uncertain, as the two opposing factions debate on the ban on such lightbulbs. For now, consumers will have to get used to buying the energy-efficient LEDs.