Groups blast DOE’s plan to rollback light bulb standards

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) rolled back rules this week that set light bulb energy efficiency standards.

The rule rolls back a light bulb definition that would expand the standards to cover the full range of bulb shapes and sizes used in our homes. It eliminates standards, which were set to take place in 2020, for about half of the six billion light bulbs used in the United States. These standards would save consumers billions of dollars and reduce tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

The DOE also proposed to eliminate the 2020 standards for “A-lamps,” the pear-shaped bulbs that make up the other half of light bulbs.

Eliminating the standards for all light bulbs would cost US consumers up to $14 billion annually, ACEEE research says. That comes out to more than $100 in lost bill savings every year per household. Further, the rollback would increase annual climate-change emissions by about 38 million metric tons per year.

“In 2007, Congress took initial bipartisan steps to transition to energy-efficient lighting by 2020 with the support of lighting manufacturers, consumer and environmental advocates, and the Bush administration. Advances in LED bulbs—including vast decreases in retail prices—have outpaced the expectations set in 2007. Now is the time to complete this long-anticipated transition by moving forward with minimum standards that lock in energy bill savings and pollution reductions to benefit all Americans,” Jennifer Amann, buildings program director at ACEEE, said.

Representatives from the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and many other organizations spoke out against DOE’s plan. Some may consider legal challenges. Also, several states — including California, Colorado, Nevada, Vermont, and Washington — have enacted their own light bulb standards in anticipation of the federal rollback.

“It makes zero sense to eliminate energy-saving light bulb standards that will save households money on electricity bills and cut climate change emissions by reducing the amount of coal and gas burned in power plants. LED light bulbs are a proven, popular product – it’s time for the national minimum standards to catch up to today’s technology. Instead, the Trump administration is siding with manufacturers that want to keep selling outdated, energy-wasting light bulbs,” Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, said.