More than a decade ago, the federal government — in a bipartisan move — created rules for improving household energy efficiency by targeting one simple device: the light bulb. Spurred by those rules, manufacturers today offer lighting options that use far less energy, save consumers money on utility bills and last years longer.
It’s the wrong time for the U.S. Energy Department to block further rules that were set to go into effect this year.
Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette announced recently that the department would block a rule designed to phase out older, inefficient incandescent bulbs. Contrary to some reports, it would not eliminate the use of incandescent bulbs, but it would require that they meet efficiency standards of using 65% less energy than older types.
Mr. Brouillette said the new rule was unnecessary because manufacturing technology has already increased “the efficiency and affordability of light bulbs without federal government regulations.” What he overlooks is the fact the regulations passed in 2007 were the impetus for the better, more affordable bulbs on the market today.
The Energy Independence and Security Act took aim at the inefficiency of the more than 3 billion light bulbs in American homes, particularly the pear-shaped incandescent bulbs. The federal Environmental Protection Agency estimated that incandescent bulbs at the time were only 10% efficient, with the remaining 90% of electricity used being lost as heat.
The EISA established a phase-in period under which manufacturers needed to produce bulbs that used less energy while providing the same amount of light. There were some bumps in the road as consumers complained about the lighting quality of early compact fluorescent bulbs — those twisty-shaped CFL bulbs that took longer to warm up — but ongoing innovation led to today’s newer generation of halogen-incandescent and LED bulbs.
A traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb has an annual energy cost of $4.80, according to the Energy Department, while a 60-watt LED bulb costs only $1 a year to operate. The LED last 25 times longer, and the cost has dropped dramatically over the years, down to about $1.25 for a non-dimming bulb.
Despite the notable success of the EISA program, the Energy Department announced in September it would roll back efficiency standards on specialty bulbs — three-way, flame-shaped and globe-shaped bulbs — and would likely do the same for traditional bulbs.
Some states — California, Colorado, Nevada, Vermont and Washington — responded by passing standards matching the EISA requirements. Environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy condemned the rollbacks, saying the move could cost consumers an extra $14 billion on annual energy bills.
Several environmental and consumer groups, as well as attorneys general in several states, have already filed legal challenges to stop the rollbacks on specialty bulbs, and will likely take similar action to stop rollbacks on traditional bulbs.
Government regulation often gets a bad rap for imposing restrictions on consumers, but the EISA rules have succeeded beyond expectations. American homes are using less energy and consumers are saving on their utility bills. The Energy Department should keep the energy-efficiency standards in place and allow continuing innovations to further improve the ubiquitous light bulb.
First Published: January 10, 2020, 11:15 a.m.
