Contrary to what you might have seen on the news or read online, 100-watt incandescent light bulbs were not banned as of January 1, 2012. Surprised? That’s no shocker. Nearly every media story we’ve seen lately, including those in the New York Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and National Public Radio, are flat-out wrong when they report that you’ll no longer be able to buy 100-watt incandescent bulbs.

In reality, only inefficient 100-watt incandescent light bulbs are being phased out, meaning they can no longer be made or imported into the United States. But that doesn’t matter, because every major lighting manufacturer is now making efficient 100-watt incandescent bulbs that meet the requirements of current federal law (the law signed by then-President George W. Bush in 2007).

Sadly, after using Thomas Edison’s old-fashioned bulb for over 100 years, it ultimately required government intervention to drive innovation in light bulb design and efficiency. That technological innovation should have happened within the private business sector, but it didn’t. Instead, the sector took huge government subsidies and, in the end, the nation needed federal efficiency standards to move past Edison’s old-fashioned bulb.

So, if you still want to pay more to light your business or home with incandescent bulbs, you certainly can (and they’ll be more efficient than they used to be). You can also run to your nearest hardware store and stockpile the old skin-scorching, electricity-gobbling bulbs until they run out (and continue to waste huge amounts of electricity just to light your rooms). Just know that the rest of us will be grinning a little bit bigger when we open our electricity bill.

Contrary to what you might have seen on the news or read online, 100-watt incandescent light bulbs were not banned as of January 1, 2012.