commentLighting and Energy Efficiency
Legislation Sparks Innovation
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Just before Christmas, Congress passed a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the government running for the rest of the fiscal year. Tucked within was a rider that defunded enforcement of the so-called “bulb ban”—new energy-efficiency requirements that effectively phase out the general service incandescent lamp. But the standards, signed into law in 2007, remain in place. They started going into effect January 1, requiring that lamps as bright as a traditional 100-watt bulb use no more than 72 watts of electricity. New requirements for 75-, 65-, and 40-watt equivalents will follow over the next two years. Despite the lack of enforcement, however, “manufacturers have not changed their plans,” says Jeffrey Harris, senior V.P. for programs at the Alliance to Save Energy. Soon, Harris predicts, “it will not be possible to buy inexpensive bulbs that are expensive to operate.”
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