By tomorrow, things will officially get darker under the Biden administration. As usual, you’ll have to spend more money if you want any relief.
The Biden administration's ban on incandescent light bulbs goes into effect on Tuesday, forcing everyone to purchase more expensive, "energy-efficient" bulbs such as LED and fluorescent.
Critics say that the light generated by the newer bulbs is not as good as it is with the incandescents, which are more like sunlight and generate heat.
A free market consumer group wrote to the DOE last year trying to shed some light upon the issue. "While LEDs are more efficient and generally longer-lasting than incandescent bulbs, they currently cost more than incandescent bulbs and are inferior for certain functions such as dimming," they said.
The Department of Energy is set to start penalizing incandescent distributors and retailers with fines of as much as $542 per illicit bulb. It doesn’t appear that sweetheart deals will be made available to those that take to the bright idea of breaking the rules.
Related: Feds Ready a Ban On Incandescent Light Bulbs
The DOE argues the move will save American families money in the long run.
Results from a recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey indicate the regulations will particularly impact lower-income Americans. As 54% of households with an income of more than $100,000 per year use LEDs, just 39% of households with an income of $20,000 or less used the newer bulbs.