GE Light Bulbs at Walmart

GE Light Bulbs at Walmart

It’s time for me to go shopping for light bulbs again. As part of a partnership with GE, I’ve received some coupons to try out some of their bulbs (as always, all opinions are my own).  You may remember the last time I went shopping for light bulbsI just showed up at my local Walmart with the idea that I could easily pick up the size and wattage I needed for my ceiling fan lights. Surely there couldn’t be that many sizes, right? WRONG! As I stood in the lighting aisle I realized not only were there a plethora of sizes, but there were choices in the type of light, the color they cast, and more. Overwhelmed and on a deadline to finish our project, I grabbed what I thought were the right bulbs and headed home.

Shopping for Energy Smart Bulbs from GE

Shopping for Energy Smart Bulbs from GE

You guessed it. They were not the right bulbs, we missed our deadline and worse, I lost the receipt so I couldn’t return my $15 mistake. I’m now the proud owner of 3 bulbs that don’t fit a single fixture in my house (we’ll  be donating our mistakes to the food bank). I did make a return trip to finish the job and this time I got the right size, but the wrong type of bulb for us. The new bulbs were not instant on – something we found we didn’t care for in our main bedroom fixture. My husband laughed at my two-time mistake and he headed to the store to right my wrong. Ha! He bought LED lights, only they were MUCH too bright for the space (think alien landing zone bright). So for now we have a mixture of the two bulbs in our 3-light fixture. It works but it doesn’t look good and we could have saved ourselves some money by doing a little research before we left home. This time I’m not making the same mistakes. My first step was to learn about the size and types of the bulbs we needed. But to do that I had to learn a little more about some new legislation that affects the type of bulbs available for purchase. Our goal is to be as energy-efficient as possible and use the right bulb, in the right place, the first time.

Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

2012 Lighting Legislation (video)

Between 2012 and 2014, standard 40- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs must use 30% less energy to meet minimum efficient standards. What does it all mean?

Lighting Legislation Calendar Between 2012 and 2014, standard 40- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs must use 30% less energy to meet minimum efficient standards.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) was passed by Congress and signed by then President, George W. Bush. The law was created to reduce energy use as well as greenhouse gas emissions. So what does this mean for me and my selection process? Well first, I’m a GE fan from way back. Back when my dad used to send me to the store as a teen to buy bulbs. He swore by them and I depend on them for quality the same way he did. Because GE bulbsare my choice, I have looked into their lighting technology options available under the new Act:

  • GE energy smart® LED  – Our personal choice because of their long life expectancy)
  • GE energy smart® CFL – There are so many options available in these bulbs so there perfect in many applications.
  • GE Bright from the Start™ CFL– Instant on and use 75% less energy and lasts 8 times longer than an incandescent soft white bulb.
  • GE energy-efficient soft white (EESW halogen)  – These are the closest in look and feel to the incandescent bulbs.
  • GE Reveal – A bright white, these bulbs have halogen technology inside.
GE Energy Saving Bulb Comparison Chart

What don’t you see on the list? Incandescent Bulbs. They’re old technology and even though 40-, 60-, and 75-watt bulbs are still being manufactured, the 100-watt bulbs are not as of January of this year; however, old stock may still be available on store shelves. But I also learned that I should leave those old bulbs were they are, they’re not doing me any favors. That’s because a 72-watt CFL bulb has the same brightness as my favorite 100 watt incandescent bulb, but uses 28% less electricity.

But the new bulbs cost more than the old bulbs?!? Yes, but they last longer as well. CFL bulbs last up to 6 times longer and use 75% less energy so I’ll save the price of the bulbs the first year. And better, that means less climbing up on ladders and removing bulb covers in those hard-to-reach areas – win/win! I was also amazed to find out that LED lights have an expected lifetime of up to 22 years – long after we’ve sold this house. That’s pretty crazy. So investing in the right lights makes sense.

Simple Changes to Save Big

GE suggests to kick off your savings and move to a greener home by simply replace your homes five most often used lighting fixtures current incandescent bulbs with ENERGY STAR® bulbs. The savings you’ll see in just one year can be up to $100 or more (use the GE Engergy Savings Calculator to determine you savings).

BIG Change 30 Walmart (video)

 Learn More about Saving Money:

Tomorrow I’ll share our home lighting inventory and shopping trip prep. I’ll also be sharing more about the  GE energy savings calculator so you can see your savings and more about energy efficient lighting, energy efficient light bulbs, and the incandescent light bulb law.


Photo Credits: GE.com I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and GE Lighting #CBias #SocialFabric” All opinions are my own.

  • SIMPLE Service Project with GE Lighting for Champions for Kids #GELightingCFK (cleverhousewife.com)
  • Donating GE Energy Smart Light Bulbs to a Local Shelter for Champions for Kids #GELightingCFK (cleverhousewife.com)