Regulatory Onslaught: Biden’s Ban On Incandescent Light Bulbs Now In Effect

The federal government’s ban on incandescent light bulbs took effect on Tuesday, more than a decade and a half after such a rule was first proposed intending to promote energy efficiency.

A federal regulation to ban incandescent light bulbs was initially issued in 2007 following the enactment of the Energy Independence and Security Act during the Bush administration. [emphasis, links added]

Implementation of the ban was delayed from its initial date of 2012, then the rule was broadened during the Obama administration before it was reversed by the Trump administration.

The Biden administration in April 2022 moved ahead with a new rule from the Dept. of Energy (DOE), banning incandescent light bulbs starting on August 1, 2023.

The rule requires that light bulbs must emit at least 45 lumens per watt (a lumen is a measure of brightness). It also bans the manufacture and sale of non-conforming bulbs – but not their use, so consumers may use such bulbs that they already possess.

The rule effectively bans most incandescent light bulbs because they typically produce about 15 lumens per watt according to Philips, a leading light bulb maker.

However, the rule contains exceptions allowing incandescent bulbs to continue to be manufactured and sold if they’re used in things like household appliances or certain types of lamps, including those for bugs, plants, or marine signals, among others.

A regulatory enforcement memo from the DOE issued days after the rule was announced last year indicated that the agency will pursue civil penalties against manufacturers and private labelers that knowingly violate the ban, although it’s unclear from the document what those penalties may entail.

“The lighting industry is already embracing more energy-efficient products, and this measure will accelerate progress to deliver the best products to American consumers and build a better and brighter future,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said last year.

The DOE said in announcing the incandescent bulb regulation that it expects American consumers to save nearly $3 billion on annual utility bills due to the rule and projected that it will cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years – an amount equivalent to the emissions generated by 28 million homes in a year. …

The coalition added that the estimated climate benefits of the energy-efficiency regulations are “speculative, assumption-driven, and prone to bias in the hands of agencies with a regulatory agenda.” …

The ban on incandescent light bulbs isn’t the only action the Biden administration is planning to take regarding light bulbs and energy efficiency.

In December 2022, the Biden administration and DOE announced a rule to double the minimum light-bulb efficiency to more than 120 lumens per watt for bulbs commonly used by consumers – which would effectively ban compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs.

The rule is expected to take effect before the end of 2024.

Top photo by Thijs van der Weide

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