Under President Biden’s direction, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized its new efficiency rule to phase out high-energy incandescent lamps. According to this regulation, all bulbs must emit at least 45 lumens per watt.
It has been a decades-long effort to phase out inefficient light bulbs. These efforts were called the incandescent ban, though unofficially. The incandescent light bulb ban was an agenda item during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations.
The Trump administration, on the other hand, surprisingly took a stance against this change. For this reason, an effective sanction could not be applied against inefficient lighting. Biden has shown that he is determined to get the inefficient bulbs off the shelves.
According to the report of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), although high-efficiency LED lamps are offered to consumers, approximately 30 percent of the bulbs purchased in the USA are still halogen and incandescent lamps. This shows that the current regulation is a belated restriction.
It is stated that with the implementation of efficiency standards, an annual savings of 3 billion dollars will be achieved in electricity bills for consumers. Light bulbs that do not meet the new standard must be completely removed from production within 75 days. The deadline for retailers to stop their sales is July 1, 2023.
LEDs do not only offer energy savings to consumers. In addition, it provides much longer life than incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs last for about 1,000 hours, while LEDs work for between 30,000 and 50,000 hours. This means an additional savings along with a lower electricity bill for consumers.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) welcomed the recent change in energy efficiency policy, which includes the phasing out of low-efficiency lighting such as incandescent lamps.
Environmental groups applaud the Biden administration’s move. The Department of Energy plans to work with manufacturers to ease the transition. The new rules are expected to further accelerate the rise of LED lighting.
Some retailers, such as Ikea, had taken inefficient light bulbs off their shelves and decided to only sell energy efficient LED bulbs. Other retailers are being asked to do the same without waiting for the ban.
