January first was to be the day the incandescent light bulb was to disappear. But, alas, though it has been reported as such by bored feature writers, it is not so. Legislation passed many years ago and signed into law by GW bush, simply said that a 60 w bulb had to be made more effecient. Today, you will be able to buy a 43 watt bulb that is as bright as the old 60w bulb. That is what all the hullabaloo is about. Will they cost more? Of course and that is the other story. Today, we'll be able to purchase a 43 watt bulb with halogen that will cost about $1.50 each and last us a year or two, but will save us about $2.00 a year for normal usage; more for more usage. We also have fluorescent light bulbs and led light bulbs available that are both big energy savers. Flourescent bulbs cost aroun $2.00 each but will last many years and led lights about $13 each with up to 10 years of use before we see any sign of dimming. Both of these use a fraction of energy compared to the incandescent light bulb. How can this be bad? Those that are dismayed over this bit of progress are probably direct descendants of those that stated that kerosene lamps would never be replaced with light bulbs.
You can go here to read a very comprehensive article about light bulb technology.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/1/5263826/the-incandescent-light-bulb-isnt-dead