Biden administration proposing phaseout of compact fluorescent light bulbs

A proposed Department of Energy rule would phase out the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to remove less energy-efficient bulbs from the market.

Current standards require light bulbs to be at least 45 lumens, the unit used to measure brightness, per watt. Under the proposed update, first reported by CNN, the standard would be more than doubled to more than 120 lumens per watt. Commonplace 60-watt equivalent lightbulbs would only require a maximum of 6.5 watts, according to an analysis by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP).

“Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of more than 110 energy efficiency actions taken by the Administration to help lower energy costs and keep money in the pockets of American families while reducing our nation’s carbon footprint,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.

Standards aimed at phasing out incandescent bulbs in general were first passed by Congress during the Bush administration and put into practice during the Obama administration. However, in 2019 the Trump administration unwound the rule. The Biden administration resumed implementation of the rule, finalizing it in April.

Energy Department estimates project that the proposed rule announced Monday would save about $20 billion in collective consumer costs and prevent about 131 million metric tons of carbon emissions in the next three decades.

“The LEDs on today’s store shelves are a great product, but it turns out the best technology can make the bulbs even more efficient. We use so many light bulbs that this improvement would meaningfully reduce energy costs for households and businesses while cutting climate pollution from power plants,” ASAP Executive Director Andrew deLaski said in a statement.

“This plan would also mark the end of an era for compact fluorescent bulbs, which are still sold in some stores today but are inferior to LEDs.”