From Light Bulbs To Thermostats

If at first you can't succeed, the environmentalists in California will try and try again to force their agenda on everyone. Even in defeat, the environmentalists are winning while everyone else is losing a bit of their freedom and rights.

California legislators have tried to essentially ban the incandescent light bulb by mandating that all bulbs sold in the state meet certain efficiency requirements. That bill died a quick death, but the cause was taken up in Congress such that it was eventually included in the energy bill of 2007.

Lighting designers and many people are disgusted with the light produced by the CFLs. I'm not among them. I think the light from the CFLs I've installed have been pretty good. However, I can understand where they're coming from. That doesn't even begin to address the concerns over disposal of CFLs, which varies from municipality to municipality - some treat them as hazardous waste because of the trace amounts of mercury present in the bulbs.

When a technology appears that beats the light bulb, people will gravitate to it. It will become obsolete because of market forces, not because government intervened and possibly fostered a poor technological replacement for the incandescent light bulb.

Then, you have California's latest gambit - to require that all new thermostats installed in the state have a feature that enables utilities to regulate the temperature of homes and businesses remotely in an effort to reduce energy consumption during peak periods.

State energy officials are considering a proposal that would allow utilities to change a building's temperature by remote control.

Supporters say the installation of thermostats fitted with remote-control technology could help ease summertime power emergencies by allowing officials to limit the use of air conditioning.

However, privacy advocates and some lawmakers say going into people's homes to control their electricity is going too far. They say the state should provide incentives and education so people limit energy use on their own.

Energy officials, hoping to ease misgivings, are now proposing a revised regulation that would allow homeowners to block outside control of their thermostats.

Here's a better idea - instead of allowing homeowners to block outside control - that should be the default. If someone wants to enable the utilities to control their energy usage, they must take an affirmative step to do so. The problem for the environmentalists and leftists is that too many people will simply choose not to go along with their agenda and maintain their thermostats as their predetermined levels.

Businesses already engage in programs around the country where they voluntarily reduce their consumption during peak times. Some consumers do likewise. Enabling this additional level of control is disconcerting and troublesome.