The country is about to experience a brighter future with the implementation of a new rule that bans most incandescent and halogen lightbulbs. As of today, the manufacture and sale of most household incandescent and halogen bulbs are prohibited, according to an Energy Department rule enacted in April 2022. A report by Quartz reveals that there are some exceptions to the ban, which include appliance lamps, chandelier lights, infrared lamps, colored lamps, black lights, floodlights, plant grow lights, traffic signals, and other specialty lights. For regular household use, consumers will need to switch to LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. These modern LEDs are more energy-efficient, converting electrical energy directly into light instead of heat, making them approximately 75% more efficient compared to traditional bulbs.
The bipartisan effort to ban incandescent bulbs began during the Bush administration and was further expanded under the Obama administration. However, the ban was later rolled back by President Trump, who complained about the high cost of LED bulbs and their effect on his appearance. Nevertheless, the Biden administration decided to move forward with the ban, and last year, the Energy Department announced that common household bulbs would be required to emit a minimum of 45 lumens per watt starting in August. Traditional incandescent bulbs emit 12 to 18 lumens per watt, halogens emit 10 to 20 lumens per watt, and LEDs emit 75 to 110 lumens per watt. Despite the higher cost, LEDs also have a significantly longer lifespan of about 25,000 hours, as reported by Perch Energy.
It is worth noting that you are free to use any household incandescent bulbs you already have. However, manufacturers and retailers can now face fines for producing or selling these bulbs. This change is estimated to save US consumers up to $3 billion on their utility bills. MarketWatch provides a helpful comparison: at an average electricity rate of $0.11 per kWh, operating a 60-watt incandescent bulb for 1,000 hours would cost $6.60, while operating a 12-watt LED bulb with similar brightness would only cost $1.32 for the same duration. Moreover, this ban is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next three decades, according to CNN. The Biden administration’s next target is compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which, despite being 25% more efficient than incandescent bulbs, are considered inferior to LEDs. (Read more incandescent bulbs stories.)
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
