It is just media fear mongering; all the bill does is require greater energy efficiency standards for bulbs and does NOT eliminate incandescent lighting. And with over 22 exceptions in the bill, I am certain that specialty lightbulbs such as those intended for heating would still be available, as they have a WIDE range of private and commercial applications.
There are also hundreds of infra red and conductive heat source devices that are much more efficient than light bulbs without light. A simple light dimmer can be used to accurately control heat output for most resistive heat sources. Check the Graingers<tm> catalogue. Strip heaters commonly come in heat ranges from a few watts to thousands. The advantage, of course, is they rarely if ever burn out. IR heat sources can also zap through glass, assuring your critter will never get cooked.
Look for 'strip heaters' 'cabinet heaters' and 'heating elements'.
i totally understand why the "ban" of incadescent bulbs are being implemented(i have my own ideas),but is it going to affect us herpers?because i want my reps to be ok but even more importantly i dont need god knows how much mercury in every room in my house hanging from my cieling.
It is NOT a full ban of incandescent bulbs and it should NOT affect the hobby. It does raise the efficiency bar for said bulbs, but a) regular incandescent bulbs 40watt and under are exempt if you want them for your home lighting and b) halogen bulbs are still a-ok as well for those who do not want to use compact flourescent bulbs but do want something that will throw a good deal of light without using much energy.
And again, there are a TON of exemptions, so I'm certain they're not going to ban infrared bulbs or any specialty heating bulbs used by herpers, as it would negatively impact industries that use heat lamps. This is strictly an attempt to reduce the use of energy wasting household lightbulbs, because there's really no reason for someone to have a 75watt incandescent bulb in their hallway when they could be using a fraction of the energy and getting just as much or more light with a more efficient bulb. And frankly, considering the rising cost of energy and the diminishing sources of it, it isn't a half bad idea.
Also, as Snark pointed out, there are plenty of more efficient and cost effective heating methods for herpers. Even if they did do away with our beloved 50-150watt basking lamps, which isn't going to happen of course, we would still have plenty of heating methods. And UVB bulbs are not on the chopping block. So I see little reason for fear.
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