The goal of the phaseout is to reduce utility bills and conserve energy.
On Tuesday , the U.S. Department of Energy stated that it was increasing energy efficiency standards for light bulb manufacturers. This gives them 75 days to eliminate incandescents in order to avoid an outright ban in July 2020. For the same brightness, incandescent bulbs require a higher wattage that LEDs.
According to the DOE, an average American family will be able to save $100 per year or $3 billion in total. The rules should also lower energy costs for schools, businesses and homes, according the DOE. The rules will reduce carbon emissions by 222 millions metric tons in 30 years. This is equivalent to 28 million homes emitting the same amount of emissions every year, according the agency.
Bulbs must now emit at least 45 lumens (or brightness) per watt. This is a return to standards that were set to be in effect in 2020 but blocked by Trump’s administration. Trump once complained about how LED lighting made him and his family look. Trump said, “I always look orange,” at the House Republican Conference Member’s Retreat Dinner in Maryland.
The new rules are still decades in the making and represent a bipartisan undertaking. The Obama administration adopted energy efficiency standards as part of legislation that was approved under George W. Bush’s presidency.
In a statement, Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy said that the lighting industry has already adopted more energy-efficient products. This measure will accelerate progress to deliver better products to American consumers and create a brighter future.
LED savings
Incandescent and halogen light bulbs were still used in approximately 30% of light bulbs sold in the U.S. by 2020. According to the DOE, LED bulbs can last between 30,000 and 50,000 hours, compared to an average of 1,000 hours for incandescent bulbs.
According to the National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America, switching to an LED bulb instead of one incandescent lightbulb will result in a savings of $40 to $90 over 10 year. They stated that switching to LEDs can save a household $1,000 over 10 years if they have 45 incandescent lamps.
Ikea is a forward-thinking retailer that has removed inefficient light bulbs from its shelves and now sells only energy-efficient LEDs. In the release, Richard Eckman, CFA energy advocate, stated that other retailers should follow their example and sell only energy-efficient LEDs.
Charlie Harak, senior lawyer at the National Consumer Law Center, said that the switch was welcome news for all consumers but particularly for households in financial trouble who have “on average, disproportionately high energy burdens.”
The DOE’s actions were also welcomed by environmental groups. In a statement, Joe Vukovich (a Natural Resources Defense Council energy efficiency advocate) stated that it was long past time to eliminate inefficient old-fashioned lightbulbs. LED bulbs will replace incandescents. They use less energy and last 10 times as long as the older ones.
