On April 12, the Biden administration finalized congressionally mandated energy efficiency standards for the most common residential and commercial lightbulbs.
The standards will go into effect in July 2028 for newly produced bulbs. Over 30 years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects the standards will save Americans more than $27 billion on their utility bills and cut 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions—equivalent to the combined annual emissions of over 9 million homes.
“Making common household appliances more efficient is one of the most effective ways to slash energy costs and cut harmful carbon emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
Specifically, the final rule will nearly triple the required lightbulb efficiency level from 45 lumens per watt to more than 120 lumens per watt. According to the DOE, the updated standards are in line with the ongoing transition toward more efficient and long-lasting light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs that the lighting industry and consumers are already embracing.
The DOE enacted a federal sales ban on incandescent bulbs last August. Citing that rule and industry boosts in lightbulb efficiency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is phasing out its ENERGY STAR label for most lighting options by year-end 2024.