| If every home in the U.S. replaced just one traditional inefficient incandescent bulb with an efficient CFL, it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. |
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- United States EPA
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New Light Bulb Energy Efficiency Regulations Effective January 1, 2012 – Be Prepared!
On December 18, 2007, President George W. Bush signed The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). Though some consumers believe that EISA bans incandescent bulbs or forces everyone to buy compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), it actually is just regulating the energy efficiency of bulbs so they use less energy. Incandescent bulbs will still be available, but those offered for purchase will need to meet these energy efficient standards.
The EISA applies not only to inefficient incandescent bulbs, but to current fluorescent bulbs too. The least-efficient fluorescent products will also be eliminated from the market—including most 4-ft. linear and 2-ft. U-shaped T12 lamps.
In order to make the transition smooth for consumers, benchmarks have been set for this move toward our country being a more energy efficient nation. Beginning on January 1, 2012, light bulbs as bright as the traditional 100 watt incandescent bulb can use no more than 72 watts of electricity.
Because lighting expenses account for about 12% of the average household’s energy bill, energy-efficient lighting options can mean significant savings to the budget bottom line. In fact, families can save between $50 and more than $100 a year just by changing their bulbs.
Businesses that are significant users of energy for lighting (such as retailers or office building owners) will enjoy huge savings on their utility bills as well. Plus, with more than 4 billion screw-based sockets in the United States, the country stands to save $10 billion per year with efficient bulbs.
New Lighting Options Available
The new light bulb energy efficiency standards have spurred innovation in lighting and consumers now have many more lighting choices such as halogen incandescent bulbs and light emitting diodes or LEDs, in addition to CFLs. Manufacturers across the country are producing light bulbs that meet the standard’s requirements.
How to choose the right bulb
Watts measure the amount of energy required to light the actual bulb products, whereas lumens measure the amount of light produced by the bulbs. The more lumens in a light bulb, the brighter the light that will be produced. With new light bulbs, shopping by lumens will be more important than shopping by watts when choosing which energy-efficient bulb to purchase.
- 40-watt incandescent bulb = 450 lumens
- 60-watt incandescent bulb = 800 lumens
- 100-watt incandescent bulb = 1600 lumens
New Labeling for Lighting Products
To help homeowners and businesses with choosing the right light bulb for their lighting needs, the Federal Trade Commission is also requiring new labels on light bulb packaging. The new labels, which will look similar to the now-familiar nutrition labels on food products, will provide information on brightness (in lumens), estimated yearly energy costs, the total amount of energy used, the appearance of the light produced (cool, warm, yellow, etc.) and the life expectancy that can be expected.
Some consumers have been resistant to replacing all their bulbs because of the perceived expense for the new, energy-efficient bulbs. But their purchase should be seen as a money-saving investment rather than just a way to produce light. For example, CFLs use at least 28% less energy and typically last at least 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
See How Much You Will Save
If you are curious about how much money you will be saving by replacing incandescent bulbs with either CFL or LED bulbs in your home or business, you can calculate the savings on-line.
If you are considering installing a solar system on your home or business, having one of our trained staff members do a lighting analysis and upgrade in advance would be a good step. Making your lighting more energy efficient (and thereby using less electricity) could affect the size of the solar system needed to offset your energy needs.