California first in adopting new energy savings
A new federal law will start saving consumers money by improving the energy efficiency standard for incandescent light bulbs sold in California this month.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will save California consumers money with new bulbs that offer the same amount of light while using less power. Passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush, the new law is designed to reduce energy use and associated pollution and make the United States less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
While the nation will adopt the standard on January 1, 2012, California was given authority to implement the national standards one year earlier, hoping to avoid the sale of 10.5 million inefficient 100-watt bulbs in 2011 that would cost consumers $35.6 million in higher electricity bills, according to a study by Pacific Gas & Electric.
Reducing energy use in California also results in improved environmental quality by avoiding the construction of new power plants and air pollution from burning fossil fuels, according to the California Energy Commission.
The standard requires that a 100-watt bulb must use 28 percent less energy (i.e. a 100-watt bulb may not use more than 72 watts). The new 72-watt replacement bulb will provide the same amount of light (i.e. lumens), use less power and cost less to operate.
New lighting technology has become more efficient than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. Approximately 90% of the electricity used by traditional incandescent bulbs is wasted as heat instead of visible light. Replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with more efficient halogen, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs will save consumers even more money while still offering the same amount of light.
The new standard does not affect the existing supply of incandescent light bulbs stocked in retail stores or incandescent light bulbs already in use.
For more information, please go to the CEC light bulb website or the Department of Energy.
New Federal Light Bulb Standards
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