The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday finalized new energy efficiency standards for the most common types of light bulbs, continuing the Biden administration’s efforts to save consumers money on utility bills.
The new standard goes into effect in July 2028, applies only to newly-produced bulbs, and over 30 years will save Americans more than $27 billion on utility bills and avoid 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the agency projected.
The DOE is following the lead of light bulb manufacturers, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement, pointing to efficiency as "one of the most effective ways to slash energy costs and cut harmful carbon emissions."
DOE proposed the new standard in late 2022. The final rule requires light bulbs to produce more than 120 lumens/watt, up from the current standard of 45 lumens/watt, and is “in line with the ongoing transition toward more efficient and long-lasting LED bulbs that the lighting industry and consumers are already embracing,” the agency said.
The new standard represents an energy savings of 17% relative to the status quo of light bulb energy use, DOE said. The rule covers general service lamps, which include general service incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, general service light-emitting diode lamps and others.
“LED technology has gotten even better in recent years, and these standards will ensure that all products on the market catch up with the latest efficiency advances,” Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said in a statement.
This is the second major light bulb rule DOE has issued in recent years, and it follows on a host of other final appliance efficiency rules the Biden administration has issued recently. The agency’s Appliance and Equipment Standards Program is generally required to review energy efficiency rules for a broad range of products every six years.
In April 2022 the agency finalized a pair of rules to phase out older incandescent light bulbs in favor of more efficient LEDs and compact fluorescent lighting.
Earlier this month, DOE finalized new energy efficiency requirements for distribution transformers, and last week the agency finalized changes to the “process rule,” which determines how appliance efficiency standards are set and updated. In October, it finalized rules for residential gas furnaces.
Taken as a whole, the Biden administration says energy efficiency standards advanced this term — including some not yet issued — will provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years and save the average family at least $100 a year through lower utility bills.
