California says goodbye to 100-watt bulb

California is phasing out its incandescent light bulbs, and the first one to go will be the 100-watt variety, according to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

The California Energy Commission said the old-fashioned bulbs wasted about 90 percent of their electricity emitting heat instead of visible light. The agency estimates California consumers will save $35.6 million in unnecessary energy costs in one year.

Consumers can continue to use existing 100-watt bulbs, and retailers can sell their existing inventory. But these older bulbs will have to be replaced with 72-watt incandescent halogen bulbs, 23-watt compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), or Light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs), which lose far less electricity than traditional incandescents.

Over the next two years, California will also phase out 75, 60 and 40 watt incandescent bulbs.