Mexico Outlaws Incandecent Bulbs........

Energy is a big concern here in Mexico and is quite expensive.  As newcomers here we were surprised to learn how Mexico Electric (CFE) calculates usage.  Your meter at the street is read and your consumption for the period is recorded.  There are four levels.  The first level is a minual use of electricity, second level comsumption is higher and so on and so on.  Should you hit the highest level in any given billing period, your consumption cost remains in the highest billing level for 3 billing periods regardless of your usage!  So, it is to say that everyone here is very conservative with their energy usage. Lights are turned, appliances are usually unpluged when not being used.
Mexico has just kicked off a program to regulate incandescent light bulbs out of the marketplace by January 2014.

Electricity consumers will be able to swap incandescent bulbs for fluorescents at Soriana, Chedraui and Coppel stores throughout the country, federal authorities say.

For the remainder of the year, the federal government will subside the exchange of 22.9 million incandescent light bulbs for energy-saving fluorescents, to the benefit of 5.7 million families.

The aim is to eliminate sales of 100-watt incandescent bulbs from all stores by December 2011, and 75-watt bulbs by December 2012. Within a year, President Felipe Calderon expects all sales of 40-watt and 60-watt bulbs to have be phased out completely.

We can obtain four new energy-saving fluorescent bulbs, each family head must take four incandescent bulbs (in working order) of any wattage to any of the 1,200 “exchange centers” located in at a few shopping stores throughout the country. We  must also present our most recent electricity bill and an official identification (IFE card or passport).
The government plans to distribute 45 million free energy-saving bulbs throughout the nation in the next three years.
The federal government has been able to begin the ambitious light bulb exchange program thanks to a 250-million-dollar loan from the World Bank.
The Mexican government hopes the measure will reduce CO2 emissions by between 800,000 and one million tons a year.  That will be a huge reduction.  We have installed fluorescent bulbs in most of our light fixtures.  Our CFE bills so far have been in the lowest catagory.  Without the use of furnaces or air conditioning, hopefully we can keep in this range!
A fluorescent bulb produces far less heat than an incandescent and is therefore much more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Just imagine what a difference it would make if even half the word's countries followed Mexico's example!
Way to go Mexico!