With all the flurry about LED lighting, the expensive new low-energy lighting option, many have written the obituaries for the original incandescent and even the now common compact florescent lightbulbs (CFLs). But the new energy bill enacted two years ago that changed the standards for light bulbs created a new inventive spark to create CFLs and Incandescent bulbs to meet those rigid 2012 standards.
PureSpectrum is a company based in Savannah Ga., that has developed CFLs that over comes the major objections to CFLs. Their patented ballast board has creates a dimmable CLF that is on a continuous or linear switch. Some CFLs now available will offer a dimming feature but in a phased configuration, more like steps down than a smooth linear reduction. Additionally the phase-dimmed CFLs don’t reduce the amount of energy used. According to company spokesperson Stephen Weeks, PureSpectrum’s ballast actually reduces the power consumed, which will have important applications for larger commercial applications. The bulb is dimmable down to five percent of the total brightness and as a result can reduce power consumption to an equal amount. Weeks said PureSpectrum is currently 
developing retail and utility distribution agreements and expects to have their dimmable CFLs on the market later this year.
Another company has taken a look at the incandescent bulb, which hasn’t really changed since Thomas Edison first lit one up in and received his patent in 1879. The energy bill has spurred more innovation in the incandescent arena. Phillips Lighting has been developing a new bulb called the Halogena Energy Saver, which compares to a 100 watt incandescent bulb and offers savings of 30 percent. These bulbs, sold at Home Depot and on Amazon offer another alternative for people who dislike the light or are bothered by the mercury content of CFLs.