Energy Efficiency Leaders, Lighting Manufacturers Plan Consumer Education Campaign on 2012 Efficient Lighting Phase-In

At a briefing/webinar hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) on Oct. 20, 2010, international and domestic energy leaders discussed the urgent need to educate U.S. consumers about the phase-in of efficient lighting products slated to begin Jan. 1, 2012, under provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) – and in California in Jan. 2011. 

About 50 leaders in the energy efficiency community – including corporate, government and nonprofit representatives – gathered at the Alliance headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at their computers around the world to discuss how to make the phase-in of energy efficient light bulbs easy on consumers. 

Speakers discussed plans by U.S. government agencies, major retailers and the American Lighting Association to educate consumers about the upcoming efficient lighting phase-in, as well as lessons learned by other countries that have been through or have planned similar transitions.

Worldwide, U.S. Regulations Promote Energy-Efficient Lighting

Governments across the globe are setting higher energy performance standards for light bulbs, and the United States joined this movement by passing EISA in 2007.  General-use light bulb regulations under this law will lead consumers to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, halogens and light emitting diodes (LEDs), which save energy and money by giving off much more light per watt than traditional incandescent bulbs.  The EISA standards are “technology neutral,” meaning that while they do not specifically outlaw the incandescent bulbs now on the market, those bulbs would be effectively barred from manufacture after Jan. 1, 2012, because they do not meet the new efficiency standards.

Moving incrementally, U.S. retailers will start selling more of the efficient bulbs over the next two years and will stop selling the inefficient incandescent bulbs by January 2012 – or in the case of California, in January 2011. 

Campaigns Abroad Stay In-Touch with the Public

Panelists discussed past and present consumer campaigns on energy-efficient lighting changes in the European Union and Australia, as well as the planned phase-ins of efficient lighting in Mexico and Canada. Speakers revealed that the use of entertaining advertisements, simple messaging (including Australia’s 2008 “Change the Globe” slogan) and educational graphics in their consumer campaigns  spurred positive public feedback and general acceptance of the marketplace transitions in their countries. 

But change rarely comes without some resistance.  To address this issue, communication strategies abroad also included a high level of interaction with the public.  For instance, the Netherlands set up a group of experts who responded immediately to public comments with facts about lighting and easy-to-follow information about the change process.

Making a Plan

Planned consumer education campaigns in the United States will involve a variety of initiatives from the public and private sectors, including initiatives by the Alliance, NEMA and other efficiency and environmental organizations.  Based on presentations from the Alliance-NEMA webinar and a subsequent round-table discussion, the group decided to compose a charter to guide an effective campaign. 

While this charter is being formalized, representatives at the meeting agreed that all education campaigns should underscore how the lighting changes will help the nation significantly lower its energy use and carbon footprint, help the national economy and create jobs.  Messaging also should teach consumers about the safety of the updated light bulbs, as well as how to understand the new products on the market—from reading the label on the package of a new bulb to understanding its lifetime monetary savings compared with other bulbs.

The charter is expected to incorporate many of the proven methods discussed at the briefing, such as the EU’s use of a rapid-response team to take part in public dialogue about the changes, especially in setting the record straight whenever myths or distortions appear in the media or blogosphere. Other future steps include the U.S. Department of Energy’s voluntary Lighting Facts program, which will encourage manufacturers to mark LED lighting products with easy-to-read labels that show the performance level of each LED bulb, similar to nutrition labels on the back of food items.

For more info

To learn more about lighting efficiency, check out NEMA's Lighting Options for Your Home guide.  In addition, be sure to view our Lighting Resources page, which features presentations from the Oct. 20 Efficient Lighting Campaign Webinar, as well as our Past Event page for this webinar, which includes each speaker's bio.