Can someone explain to me like I’m 5 the impact the fluorescent ban will have on homeowners in CA?
I live under a rock and only recently learned about this upcoming ban. When we moved into our home, I had wanted our kitchen lighting updated to regular screw-in bulbs but was told it was a legal (?) requirement for the kitchen lighting to only take fluorescent bulbs.
So my question(s) are, does this requirement go out the window now with the upcoming ban? I’m assuming so but not entirely sure if the ban only applies to commercial buildings vs residential.
Will I need entirely new fixtures, or are there LED bulbs that simply plug in like the fluorescents? If I do need new fixtures, is this a DIY job or something that should involve an electrician? All of the ceiling lights in the kitchen are currently 4-pin bases.
Nico said:
Who told you that kitchen lighting could only have fluorescent lights? No idea where that came from.
Just what we were told when I asked our realtor about swapping out the light fixtures. Link above is what I found on Google about it, but I never really pried further, just took his answer at face value.
Edit: And we do have some screw-in fixtures in the kitchen (like the hanging lights over our island), just not all of the lights, which was my primary reason for inquiring. Just seemed crazy that they weren’t consistent. Seems like all the fixtures in this home take a different kind of bulb
@Lennon
Simple answer. The code does not require fluorescent lights, it requires high-efficiency lights. Both LED and fluorescent lights are high efficiency, so you can use screw-in LEDs and comply with this code.
@Nico
Don’t know what to say. Our kitchen follows the lighting requirement guidelines shown in that document with all of the recessed downlight lighting being fluorescent, our pendant lighting accepting screw-in LED or incandescent bulbs, and fluorescent under-cabinet lighting.
I will look elsewhere for clarification on the existing code, whether it ever truly impacted us and if so, if the new ban changes things.
Meanwhile, I could still use assistance on the logistics of what to do should I need to or want to make changes. These fixtures do not take screw-in bulbs, and it looks like even the pin LED lights aren’t plug and play (I’m reading stuff about having to bypass a ballast and I have no clue what that means or entails).
@Lennon
That was true in 2010, these were changed/updated in 2019. If it helps you feel more comfortable, call your city building department and ask them. They will tell you what is required or not.
Zenith said: @Lennon
That was true in 2010, these were changed/updated in 2019. If it helps you feel more comfortable, call your city building department and ask them. They will tell you what is required or not.
Thank you for this! We bought before those changes took place so that makes sense. Feeling kind of giddy at the prospect of finally being able to use all the same bulbs in our home.
Any experience or knowledge on how difficult/challenging it is to swap out a fluorescent pin base with an incandescent/screw one? Is this a better job for an electrician than a DIYer?
@Lennon
That looks like it was written 10 years ago from information even older than that. LED bulbs are now the most common light bulbs. When you’re buying LED bulbs, quality can vary significantly, although I’m guessing that’s not a problem if you’re coming from fluorescent light bulbs.
@Vesper
Seriously. Anything would be better than these fluorescents. They’re a terrible migraine trigger for me. I do miss the old school incandescents, but at least there are a wide variety of options with LED.
Do you have an LED brand/bulb that you’re partial to or would recommend?
There are plenty of retro-fit LED products. Or any capable sparky could rewire the existing cans to 120v and you can upgrade to any TP24 LED retrofit on the market for the can size you have.
