Light Bulbs Will Change Effective January 1

According to a USA Today article, your traditional incandescent light bulbs will be phased out beginning January 1st.  Starting on Sunday, the 100 watt bulb will no longer be able to be imported or manufactured, although stores can sell their inventories until they run out.  This same transition will happen for 75 watt bulbs on January 1, 2013 and for 40 & 60 watt bulbs on January 1, 2014. 

So, what are your options after the 1st?  There are currently 3 choices that meet the guidelines of the new legislation, which states that the bulb must be at least 25% more efficient than the standard incandescent bulb.  According to another article in USA Today, over a third of Americans prefer the traditional bulbs versus the energy-efficient option, so which bulb is best suited to match the old bulbs? Which one is the most affordable?  Here's a comparison of the 3 options.

• The CFL (compact fluorescent lamp): The "squiggly" bulb.

• Cost: $4.65 for a 2-pack 14w (traditional 60w) and will last an estimated 9 years. 
• Color of lighting: varies, so if you prefer the yellowish light that the traditional bulbs had, look for a lower temperature (measured in Kelvin), which will be a warmer color.  
• Drawbacks:
• Contains a trace amount of mercury so they need to be disposed of properly. However, the amount of mercury is not a health hazard--it's about equivalent to the mercury level found on a plate of sushi. 
• Cheaper bulbs are not dimmable, so if that is a priority for you, check the label.
• Doesn't last as long as other alternatives
• Benefits:
• They have the biggest range of color, so more to choose from.
• The cheapest option available, when totaling cost of purchase and cost of use.
• They now come in different shapes, like A-line and globe to offer options to the "squiggly" bulb.
• Halogen Incandescent:

• Cost: $3.50 for a 43w (traditional 60w) 2-pack and lasts almost a year.
• Color of lighting: Most similar to the traditional bulbs with soft white lighting.
• Drawbacks:
• They don't last near as long as the other options.
• They aren't as energy efficient as other options.
• Benefits:
• These bulbs are all mercury free.
• Cheapest to purchase.
• Most similar to the traditional incandescent bulb.
• Plenty of shapes & sizes to choose from.
• Most bulbs are dimmable.
• LED (light-emitting diode):

• Cost: $24 for 13w (traditional 60w) 1 bulb and lasts an estimated 23 years.
• Color of lighting: Most of these bulbs will be in the 3,300 to 5,000 K range, so lighting will be whiter than the traditional bulb.
• Drawbacks:
• The cost to purchase is by far the most.
• The bulb looks different than what we are accustomed to.
• Benefits:
• The most energy efficient--saving about 80% over the life of the bulb.
• Comes in two different shades--soft white and bright light for options.
• The future of lighting, and will hopefully decrease in pricing as it becomes more popular.
• The bulb is dimmable and contains no mercury.
• Offers many shapes & sizes.

Which is best?  That's up to you! If you are planning on staying in your home for 30 years, you might go with the LED's as you could save $200 per bulb over it's life.  If you want to emulate the old-style bulbs, you may choose the halogen.  The choice is yours!

JK

Source: USA Today Article, USA Today Article, Prices from Home Depot

New Year's Eve in CoMo!

Need ideas for New Year's Eve?  Why not try First Night, which is held annually downtown.  This family-friendly event is alcohol-free for the kiddos and offers lots of entertainment.  Over 50 performances, and lots of activities and art displays to view.  It's $7 for an admission button, which gets you access to all the events for the evening.  Children under 7 are free.  You can get buttons at Gerbes, the ARC & Streetside Records.

Listen to pop, jazz, or bluegrass, watch a juggling show, go on a carriage ride or make your own noisemaker!  All these activities and more are planned! You can even participate in the 5k, which occurs earlier in the day. 

Doors open at 6 and entertainment starts at 6:30.  There is a children's procession at 9:15 followed by fireworks and at 11:30 the grand procession will lead the crowd to the courthouse where they will have a ball drop followed by more fireworks. 

Visit www.firstnightcolumbia.org for more info, maps & schedule. 

Best of Columbia!

Want to take part in voting in the Best of titles for 2012?  Visit Inside Columbia's website at www.insidecolumbia.net or here to vote for the best people & places in Columbia, MO. 

From best restaurant, to hairstylist, to favorite weathercaster, you get to pick the best! 

JK

What's Going on In Your Neighborhood?

Curious as to the activity in your neighborhood?  Crane & Crane can provide a free service to you, by allowing you to see the new listings and any price changes in your neighborhood, so you can stay up-to-date. 

We will automatically email you with any new listings in your neighborhood (or area).  If you're interested, just email jessica@craneandcrane.com or your favorite Crane & Crane Real Estate agent and ask them to set it up for you. 

We never share your email address, and if you wish to not recieve the emails anymore, you just let us know!

Have a great weekend!

JK

Columbia's New Wards

The Missourian has a great article here that explains the new demographics in the six wards of Columbia.  Some housing-related highlights in Columbia are:

• The Third Ward has the highest percentage of vacant homes at 11.6%, most likely explained by unoccupied new construction homes.
• The Sixth Ward has the 2nd lowest home ownership rate at just over 27%, due to the high student population with the new student housing apartment complexes.  It also has the highest number of homes owned without a mortgage--explained by longevity of residents staying in their home, and also possibly due to investor-owned properties that were purchased with cash and are now being rented to students.
• The Fourth Ward has the highest homeownership rate and also has the oldest population--these two seem to correlate directly with each other. 

Some very interesting discoveries were made, I would highly recommend reading the article!

JK

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

With our first official snow of the season, it is starting to feel a lot like winter (& Christmas)!  So, we here at Crane & Crane have officially kicked off our Christmas Lights Contest!  Please post photos of your home, someone else's home, or any business in Boone County to our Facebook page all decked out in Christmas lights! We are taking photos from now until December 18th.  I will make a map of the top houses and post it so you can take your own Christmas Lights Tour!

If you don't have a Facebook account, feel free to email your photos to jessica@craneandcrane.com and I will make sure to get them posted.  And, include the address on all submissions so we know where they are!

JK