Shedding Light on 2012's Phase-In of Energy-Efficient Bulbs
The federal government’s energy efficiency standards for light bulbs are expected to save Americans money on their electric bills and make it easier for them to choose the type of lighting they want, according to several energy and lighting organizations.
“We want to make sure that consumers know about the transition to efficient lighting and embrace the new technologies being offered by the lighting manufacturers," said Gail Hendrickson, the Alliance’s executive vice president for external communications and operations. “Efficient lighting products will reduce energy use nationwide and have a positive impact on the environment.”
California put the new standards in place at the beginning of this year, and they will spread across the United States in January 2012. At that time, light bulb manufacturers will be subject to minimum requirements for the amount of light emitted per unit of energy used in general service light bulbs. By 2014, the old fashioned, energy-hogging bulbs that have remained unchanged for decades will gradually be replaced by many more energy-efficient, cost-effective options throughout the United States.
Out with the Old…
Despite exponential progress in technology, the incandescent light bulb has sustained its form since Thomas Edison designed it more than a century ago. Now, the United States is catching up to several countries around the world that are transitioning to more efficient lighting.
Just what are lumens?
Lumens measure the amount of light emitted by a bulb. The higher the number of lumens, the brighter the bulb. For instance:
- 40-watt incandescent bulb = 310 - 749 lumens
- 60-watt incandescent bulb = 750 - 1049 lumens
- 75-watt incandescent bulb = 1050 - 1489 lumens
With new light bulbs, gauging lumens will be more relevant than watts when choosing which bulbs to purchase.
The U.S. lighting transition is part of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which requires manufacturers to develop light bulbs that produce the same amount of brightness (lumens) with less energy (watts). The more stringent standards mean incandescent light bulbs must become at least 28 percent more efficient. In other words, the everyday, 100-watt bulb will have to produce the same brightness by using just 72 watts.
Because most incandescent light bulbs cannot meet the new energy efficiency requirements, they will dwindle from store shelves. However, the regulation does not “ban” any particular bulb.
“The standards are ‘technology neutral,’ which means that no specific type of light bulb is being banned. Instead, EISA sets a performance standard that requires light bulbs to generate a specific amount of light for a certain amount of energy used,” explained Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Jen Stutsman.
But the standards also support lighting options that are vastly more efficient than incandescents could ever be.
… In with the New
Far from limiting options on lighting, manufacturers and retailers are offering modernized incandescent light bulbs and brand new, high-efficiency options for homes and offices that reduce energy and cost, according to American Lighting Association (ALA) Communications Director Amy Wommack.
“Many of these products have a payback from a financial standpoint, which means that their somewhat higher initial cost is paid back to the purchaser over time by energy and maintenance cost savings,” Wommack said.
The increased variety of energy-efficient lighting options include halogens, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact flourescent lamps (CFLs). Most applicable for homes, CFLs use one-fourth the energy that traditional incandescents use to provide the same amount of light; CFLs also last 10 times longer and come in a variety of lighting colors and dimming options.
"The lighting choices consumers will have … after the new efficiency standards take effect will provide consumers with increased energy savings. However, some consumers may not be familiar with the new lighting choices and should understand which light bulbs meet their particular needs before purchasing," said National Electrical Manufacturers Association Government Relations Manager Justin Neumann.
New Labeling
New Light Bulb Labels
In addition to EISA’s raised efficiency standards, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission will require manufacturers of incandescent, CFL and LED light bulbs to use new labels on consumer packages. For easy comparisons between light bulbs, the front of each package will feature the bulb’s brightness measured in lumens and yearly energy cost. The back of each package will feature a label similar to Nutrition Facts on food packages. In addition to brightness and energy costs, the Lighting Facts label reports the bulb’s wattage, appearance (such as “warm” or “cool”), mercury content and a link to instructions on safe disposal.
“When purchasing light bulbs, consumers will need to understand how many lumens they need, and look for that number on the package instead of making decisions based on wattage,” said ENERGY STAR Brand Manager Maria Vargas.
These new packaging requirements will change the way Americans refer to light bulbs, according to the ALA. So, instead of buying a “100-watt” light bulb, people will soon buy a “1500-lumen” light bulb.
On the Bright Side
Many Americans welcome the new energy-efficient lighting, according to a survey by OSRAM SYLVANIA . The study found that more than half of Americans have already started installing CFLs in their homes and plan on switching to efficient lighting by 2012.
These first adopters stand to save the most: On average, American households will save between $50-$150 on their electric bills each year after transitioning to efficient lighting (dollar figures change based on the number of sockets per household).
Moreover, during the next 30 years, the new lighting standards are estimated to save the amount of energy it would take to light every U.S. home for 19 years under current standards, according to the Department of Energy’s Stutsman.
The transition also will be gradual, occurring in three phases:
- January 2012: Traditional 100-watt bulbs will be required to meet the new standards.
- January 2013: Traditional 75-watt bulbs will be required to meet the new standards.
- January 2014: Traditional 60-watt and 40-watt bulbs will be required to meet the new standards.
“These increases in energy efficiency will save American families and businesses billions of dollars a year, while dramatically reducing carbon pollution across the country,” Stutsman said.
As more efficient lighting becomes the norm, consumers can expect efficient light bulbs themselves to become more economical. Already, prices for CFLs have decreased from $10 – $15 per piece to $2 – $3 per piece, according to ALA’s Wommack.
For More Information
To help consumers navigate the transition to energy-efficient lighting, read the NEMA publication Lighting Options for your Home.
Alliance Communications Intern Rebecca Fleischer contributed to this article.
Blog Type: Efficiency News
Programs: Communications Program
CFL bulbs have mercury and dangerous! LED light will replace incandscent bulbs and will reduce your consumption on energy and give you a great ROI. LED lightning is made in the USA and you can check them out at www.americaapproved.com/go2green
Thanks for this energy bill contribution
This has been a very interesting and useful article. I have been searching the internet for something similar.Thanks for the advice.
These bulbs have mercury in them. Do we just throw them in the garbage? Can they be recycled? What is the safe way to handle bad bulds? Thanks
It's easy to recycle CFLs. To find a recycling center near you, visit http://earth911.com/. For disposal instructions, check out ENERGY STAR's recommendations.
None of the CFL's no matter what the price last in a ceiling fan more than a few weeks and with many fans here in TX it is way to expensive to keep replacing them. Info on internet says they shouldn't be used in fans? So what do we do? Can't find any that give good light for reading. My eye doc is alreading complaining and I only have them in a few fixtures. Mercury thing is crazy-not enough will follow safe disposal rules, putting landfills and all of us at risk.Has anyone really measured there bulbs. We find they don't last as long as promised, take forever to warm up and really provide poor quality light.
We were some of the first folks to jump on board with CFL's, but we have been very disappointed. The advertised life span has often been less than incandescent bulbs, certainly not the long life as promised.
Also, the old type bulbs were often made here in America, but the CFL's are all imports.
Add to that the potential of a very complicated clean up procedure in case of breakage has turned me off completely!
We will not be buying any more CFL's.
I don't know what I'm doing right but using these CFL's have brought my light bill down. None of the static interference that I read in the earlier comments.
What about the fire hazzard of the new bulbs. The internet shows fire shooting out of the side of the base on the bulb. The site claims this is not unusual. If the government defacto requires the newer bulbs by forcing the incandescent out of the market will they pay for my house if the new bulbs burn it down?
Some of my CFL bulbs/lamps have caused static interference in my radio reception. Had to remove them for the cure. I am experiencing about half the reputed 5 year life span of them. Some manufacturers indicate they should not be used in an enclosed globe.
Richard- You will find some electric interference emitting from the ballast of these self ballasted replacement lamps. This can interfere with nearby electronics and create "noise" on the line which may cause problems with other controls systems in the area (lighting controls etc). You may want to try an LED replacement A Lamp. You can find information about this on the Energy Star Website. While more expensive, the lamp life is expected to be approx 10 years and these lamps only consume approx 9 Watts. You can find these at makor retailers like Lowes etc. If you are still experiencing interference you could try an incandescent lamp with IR.
Don't forget LVD bulbs ( electromagnetic induction ). 23 watt produces 2300 lumens and the 40 watt ones produce 4600. The 40 watt bulbs have been used to replace street lights. They are also dimmable and last as long as LEDs. The down side is that they are $30+ per bulb at present.
For the brightest LED lights the most I have seen is a 75 watt equivalent made for standard bulb sockets. At least so far.
The problem with CFL's or anything electronic is they create harmonic distortion. Looking through a oscilloscope the 5th, 7th, and 11th harmonic stands up real high and with the new smart meters the power companies are putting on homes and businesses can measure and bill you for harmonic distortion creating a new revenue to line their pockets. The rebates you recieved for putting them in your home will be a bill in the next year. Just in Florida for now I would like to thank FPL and the 27 lobbyist they have in the Florida Senate.
Just a little more info about CFLs: CFLs contain an average of 4 milligrams (mg) of Mercury. exposures to inorganic mercury may result in damage to the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, and the kidneys.
Thanks!
I've heard that the CFLs can interfere with computer operation - you shouldn't have them in the vicinity of the computer. Does any one know if this is so, & have some facts to back them up?
I suspect that LEDs really are the best long term solution although they are hard to find amd expensive for residential purchase.
What I'd really like to see is a full cradle to grave comparison of the various alternatives. How significant is the mercury issue raised by jtstack6 above? How does energy input into the manufacturing of the ceramic base of a CFL compare to an aluminum base in an incandescent unit? Can anyone direct me to anything published on this topic?
Further, when discussing energy savings we need to be a bit more precise in our quantification of total savings. Most of the "lost" energy from the incandescent bulb is heat. For those of us in northern climates, this is not entirely wasted energy. Some of the electrical energy saving will show up as added cost on our heating bills. Depending on location, energy pricing and furnace efficiency, the increased heating cost could be 20-50% of the electrical savings.
I live in the far north - Alaska), but save 30% helped bulbs and recommendations
http://www.wallselectrical.com/average-electricity-bill.html
Why isn't anyone asking the real question. What happened to CRI? That's Color Rendering Index! It's the only way to know if the CFL, or other flourescent your buying is anything close to natural light. Even buying an "Energy Star" rated CFL doesn't guarantee you'll get a decent color light from the bulb you buy. But as far as Energy Star goes, that rating is a joke anymore. I find that if I only buy those bulbs that publish a CRI, and then only those with a CRI of 85 or higher, the light is very close to what you get from an incandescent, and is very easy on the eye. Of course I have to buy on line, but you can find lighting companies that aren't ashamed of the light they put out, and do publish their CRI's. Why the HELL didn't Energy Star require a DECENT CRI level in their CFL rating? Because Energy Star is now more concerned with including all manufacturer's as opposed to being concerned with the efficient or effectiveness of the products. YES, I know CRI has little to do with efficiency, unless you consider the fact that more people would be buying CFL's, and thus saving energy, had folks like Energy Star make an 85 CRI or higher a requirement long ago. Or perhaps if it had been required that CRI be listed on every package of bulbs sold! But we are too concerned with being politically correct. How far will politically correct get us when we are setting in the dark?
You are confusing CRI with Color Temperature. All CFLs have a CRI of 80 or better, so that is not a big issue. Color Temperature indicates the relative warmness or coolness of a light source and can range from about 2700K (warm) to about 6500K (very cool). To mimic incandescent, you want CFLs to be between 2700K and 3000K.
LED is Sooo much better. No mercury , longer life an almost zero heat with nice white light.
CFLs are so last century
All LED now in my house and my GF's house. CFL are rubish compared to LED and as LED (decent ones) are like buying a permanent fitting, it's not like you're paying $30 for something that you have to keep replacing like incandescents and CFL. It's more like buying the light fitting itself.
You guys are so anti anything new. In Europe we've been using CFL for the last 10 years. No they don't spurt out fire, that really made me laugh... We don't get much radio interference from them, I've no idea how you guys are getting that!!! CFL's do hum a bit, start up dim and don't last as long as they say. LOL! You can use them near computers, who told you that rubbish!!!!
But why are you guys so hell bent on using incandescent lights?? Have you REALLY not noticed climate change??? The rest of the world is waiting for you to catch up, your carbon footprints per person are much higher than people in Europe.
And the lady from Texas with the ceiling fans, do you actually get the fact that 100 watt light bulb produces 100 watts of heat how many do you have on the ceiling??? It's no wonder your airconditioning works so hard and your houses are hot, it's totally sellf defeating heating it with light bulbs and then using more energy to try to cool it. Thats whay they use incandescents for heating reptile vivariums.. DOH!
Honestly just go straight out and buy LED ones for your most used lighting and be done with it, even at the high prices in the most used lights they pay back in 1 or 2 years. You'll only be binning incandescents and CFLs as they go. Do you have any idea what it's like to see the reduced bills and not have to change light bulbs??? It's cool, wee don't even need to keep spare bulbs any more. :) Don't buy the really cheap LEDs though, we made that mistake at first, they only last a few years.
I'm curious where the ASE stands on the issue of warm-up time as relates to CFL bulbs. While most of us are all for saving energy, there seems to be a basic flaw in CFL bulbs and a serious safety issue. I replaced all the bulbs in my basement with CFL bulbs and it is unsafe to walk thru the room for a minute or 2 until the bulbs warm up. It would seem there needs to be a drive towards lowering the costs of LED lights before mandating the removal of incandescent bulbs altogether.
Part of commentors reason may be the of the
Bulb - especially a no-name thrifty bulb. 2
minutes may be an exzaduration of a sort.
Usually full bright in less than 30 seconds per
my testing. And the name brands are usually
almost instant full lumen levels.
