DOE rules reinstate ban on sale of halogen, incandescent lightbulbs

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued two rules ensuring the retirement of inefficient, older model lightbulbs, a move the agency said will save consumers nearly $3 billion annually.

The first rule, effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, revises the definition of a general service lamp, a technical term for a lightbulb, while the second rule sets a 45 lumens per watt minimum. Once implemented, the rules will effectively ban the sale of most traditional incandescent and halogen lightbulbs in favor of more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs or LEDs.

The standard was originally set to kick in on Jan. 1, 2020, in accordance with a plan outlined in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, but was rolled back by the Trump administration in 2019, months before taking effect. The reversal was lauded by the trade group National Electrical Manufacturers Association, or NEMA, but criticized by environmental organizations.

The latest rule's revised definition of general service lamps, expanded to include irregularly shaped lightbulbs such as candle- and globe-shaped lighting, eliminates a loophole in the 2007 act that was closed by the Obama administration but reversed by the Trump administration.

Halogen and incandescent lightbulb use is already on the decline. According to a March 31 U.S. Energy Information Administration report, incandescent or halogen lightbulbs were the dominant lightbulbs in 15% of homes in 2020, down from 31% of homes in 2015. The report drew from the EIA's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey of 18,496 American households.

The DOE issued the rules April 26 with a statement touting the benefits to the environment and Americans' pocketbooks.

"By raising energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs, we're putting $3 billion back in the pockets of American consumers every year and substantially reducing domestic carbon emissions," U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

The DOE expects the rules to lower carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

The National Resources Defense Council called the new efficiency standards "common sense." The environmental nonprofit previously criticized the 2019 reversal as lacking legal justification.

"We are long overdue to phase out inefficient old-fashioned light bulbs as this progress was illegally delayed by the Trump administration for more than two years," said Joe Vukovich, NRDC energy efficiency advocate and spokesperson. "LED bulbs, which will replace the old incandescents, use one-sixth the amount of energy to deliver the same amount of light and last at least 10 times longer."

Penalties for noncompliance with the new standards will be enforced progressively through the rest of 2022, according to DOE's enforcement policy statement, with full enforcement to kick in on Jan. 1, 2023, for general service lamp manufacturers and importers. For distributors and retailers, full enforcement does not kick in until July 2023.

"NEMA appreciates the administration's recognition of the challenges industry faces in complying with the rule and the adoption of a more manageable compliance time frame," said Spencer Pederson, NEMA vice president of public affairs.

DOE said it will host a May 4 webinar that will explain the enforcement policy.

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