Not Everyone Thrilled With Light Bulb Phase Out Law

DENVER (CBS4) - Standard light bulbs are being phased out starting in 2012 and being replaced by more energy-efficient, and more expensive, options.

Beginning with the new year, federal law will require all light bulbs to be 25 percent more efficient, leaving Thomas Edison incandescent bulb out in the dark and flipping the switch to its more frugal counterparts, such as the long-lasting compact fluorescent.

Not everybody is thrilled with the change. Alternatives are significantly more expensive up front. Many consumers also complain the newer bulbs just don't look right.

"Yes I do want to be energy efficient, but I don't want to have to wait for the lights to come on to their fullest," Denver shopper Patty McCuiston told CBS4.

Watch Howard Nathan's report in the video clip below:

Earlier this month Republicans in Congress managed to eliminate all funding to enforce the new law -- which was signed in 2007 by then-President Bush.

"Sometimes it's easier to just be forced into that decision and save a dollar on the bulb," Denver shopper Michael Ross told CBS4.