The first ever practical, long lasting incandescent light bulb was developed by Thomas Edison in 1879. While Edison did not invent the concept of the light bulb, he was the first to create a version of the electric light bulb that was safe, practical and cost-effective for home lighting. To achieve success with the light bulb, Edison played a critical role in overcoming challenges that were hindering the innovation of the electric light bulb by developing such electrical breakthroughs as the parallel circuit, an underground conductor framework and light sockets with switches.

Today, electrical lighting is a commodity and is considered an indispensable component of life and business. Alongside widespread consumer use of incandescent light bulbs has come a realization of the environmental and economical drawbacks of the once coveted technology. As more advanced technology such as fluorescent lighting began to provide consumers with an alternative to incandescent bulbs, it became clear that incandescent bulbs produce an excessive amount of energy waste as compared to their more energy efficient counterparts. Only about 5 percent of the energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb is used to produce light, while 95 percent is released as waste in the form of heat. Prevalent awareness and activism concerning the environmental repercussions of electrical waste, such as greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, perpetuate the urgency of reducing energy consumption and thus waste.

Energy conservation leaders such as Australia, Ontario and California have taken ground-breaking steps toward elimination of the use of incandescent lighting altogether. New regulations push consumers to replace energy wasting incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs. With goals aimed at reducing hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emissions and banning incandescent bulbs in just a few years, other communities are sure to follow in these leaders’ environmentally conscious footsteps.

There is concern about the economic cost that aggressive lighting regulations will pass on to consumers, as incandescent bulbs are sold at a much lower cost than compact fluorescent bulbs. While initially a higher investment, fluorescent bulbs prove their worth in saved energy costs and a much longer useful life than incandescent bulbs. Additionally, as more governments institute energy conservation legislation favoring fluorescent bulbs, their consumption volume will increase and prices are sure to drop as a result.

Electric incandescent lighting technology has changed little to none in the over 125 years since its inception. As the world becomes more aware and concerned about human effects on the environment, innovative regulations are certain to have an enormous and increasing impact on lighting use and energy consumption. While the future does not look bright for incandescent light bulbs, modern fluorescent lighting and rapidly progressing LED lighting technology are gaining a stronghold on the lighting industry and consumer preference.