House Refuses to Pull Plug on Energy-Efficient Lighting

In a show of support for energy efficiency, the U.S. House of Representatives voted against a bill that would have turned back time on the way Americans light their homes.

Congress voted down the politically named “Better Use of Light Bulbs” (BULB) Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), on a 233-193 vote, missing by 40 votes the two-thirds majority needed for passage.

BULB Act Would Have Cost Families $100 Annually

If the BULB Act had passed, it would have repealed standards already set in 2007 that require incandescent light bulbs – which have remained unchanged since they were invented over a century ago – to be 30% more efficient by 2012.

By forcing Americans to miss out on saving energy, the BULB Act would have cost the average U.S. family about $100 annually, according to estimated energy savings from use of more efficient lighting.

Keeping Standards to Make our Bulbs Better

With lighting standards staying intact, overall U.S. energy costs stand to decrease by more than $10 billion per year – money that goes back into Americans’ pockets and into the sagging economy.

These lighting efficiency standards come from the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which President George W. Bush signed into law in 2007. The standards in EISA not only were advocated for by energy efficiency advocates, but also by light bulb manufacturers and trade associations.

What Does the Standard Do?

The standard requires that regular light bulbs use less energy; it is a technology-neutral performance standard.

• As of January 1, 2012, light bulbs as bright as a 100 watt traditional incandescent bulb can use no more than 72 watts of electricity.
• As of January 1, 2013 applies to 75 watt bulbs (no more than 53 watts). As of January 1, 2014 applies to 60 watt bulbs (43 watts) and 40 watt bulbs (29 watts).
• Additional savings start in 2020. Also, starting July 2011 light bulbs must include a clearer label on energy use and brightness.

The efficient lights required by the light bulb standard will save more than $10 billion each year. Other savings include:

• The amount of electricity generated by more than 30 large power plants, or roughly the same as total electricity use of Indiana,
• Global warming pollution of 14 million cars and light trucks (about 70 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year).

In response to EISA, lighting manufacturers stepped up to provide consumers with more lighting choices than they have ever had before. Stores already are stocked with cost-effective, energy-saving products, which include new incandescent bulbs that are more efficient because they use halogen technology, as well as LEDs that last almost as long as a traditional mortgage.

Putting Reason Before Politics

In addition to its own efforts, the Alliance is part of a broad-based coalition of more than 85 companies and organizations that worked to defeat the misinformation campaign to roll back lighting standards.  

“This turn of events demonstrates that our representatives in Congress understand how important it is to safeguard energy-efficient lighting standards that save Americans both energy and money. Moreover, it reveals the underlying support in Congress for enactment of meaningful energy efficiency legislation,” Callahan said.